What’s On Toyota’s Mind?

Thanks to Pete for findng this and sending it my way. This link takes you to an animation thats apparently produced for Toyota Sweden.

Here is the animation with English subtitles (you can view this with or without sound).

The animation can also be found on the original Toyota site (with Swedish subtitles).

It looks pretty out-there, I realize… but bear with it. Click on the numbers along the bottom:

• #4 “The String” – this explains the story behind the andon cord (although generalizing that none of the American workers Toyoda saw in 1956 cared about the products, but still, the idea of empowering employees is powerful.
• #61 “Fingertip Quality,” talking about how workers are trained to focus on fit and finish of the assembled vehicles.
• #86 “Our Philosophy,” discussing the Toyota Way (and you can order a free copy of their publication, probably not the Liker book, from their website). They list the following as Toyota Way principles:
• Kaizen
• Jidoka
• Genchi Genbutsu (“see for yourself”)
• Muda
• #114 “Customer Satisfaction.” The comment says “It's as if everyone is satisfied except Toyota themselves.”

Interesting site, check it out.

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Mark Graban

Mark Graban is an internationally-recognized consultant, author, and professional speaker who has worked in healthcare, manufacturing, and startups. He is author of the Shingo Award-winning books Lean Hospitals and Healthcare Kaizen, as well as The Executive Guide to Healthcare Kaizen. His most recent book is the anthology Practicing Lean that benefits the Louise H. Batz Patient Safety Foundation, where Mark is a board member. Mark is also a Senior Advisor to the technology company KaiNexus. His latest book has been released as an "in-progress" book, titled Measures of Success.