Analysis of Toyota Case

Rationalizing the Design of the Toyota Production System:

A Comparison of Two Approaches

J. Won1, D. Cochran1, H. T. Johnson2, S. Bouzekouk1, B. Masha1

Production System Design Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

2

School of Business Administration, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon, USA

1

Abstract

This paper examines two recent attempts to develop frameworks to explain the Toyota Production System (TPS).

In Decoding the DNA of the Toyota Production System, Spear and Bowen assert that the design, operation and

improvement of manufacturing systems can be captured in four basic rules. In A Decomposition Approach for

Manufacturing System Design, Cochran et. al. show how a Manufacturing System Design Decomposition (MSDD)

can express the relationships between the design requirements and corresponding solutions within a

manufacturing system. This paper compares and contrasts how each of these approaches incorporates the

requirements of successful manufacturing system design.

Keywords: Production System Design, Axiomatic Design, Methodology

1 INTRODUCTION

Various theories for the design and operation of

manufacturing systems have been advanced to rationalize

the system design process [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]. The two

approaches under consideration in this paper each provide

a unique view of the Toyota Production System (TPS). An

essential aspect of either approach is the de-emphasis on

the tools and methods characteristically associated with

TPS and ‘lean’ manufacturing.

In Decoding the DNA of the Toyota Production System,

Spear and Bowen consider TPS as a model manufacturing

system. The essence of TPS is described by four basic

rules. These rules were developed based on extensive

empirical research. In A Decomposition Approach for

Manufacturing System Design, Cochran et. al. developed

an axiomatic-based design decomposition approach to...