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Date Submitted: 01/29/2013 10:54 AM
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...