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CLT10: Lean fundamentals and the Toyota Production System

CLT10 · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.

All guide sections

Lean fundamentals and the Toyota Production System

Lean fundamentals and the Toyota Production System (TPS) asks whether you can explain why lean tools work together, not just name them. CLT10-style questions test the TPS house, the two pillars, respect for people, and the difference between value, waste, and unevenness.

Core rules

  • TPS rests on just-in-time (JIT) and jidoka, with heijunka, kaizen, and standard work as foundations. JIT supplies the right item at the right time in the right quantity; jidoka stops the process when abnormality occurs so bad work does not pass.
  • Classify abnormal conditions as muda (waste), mura (unevenness), and muri (overburden). Removing waste without stabilizing variation or load can shift the problem.
  • Value is defined from the customer's viewpoint: what the customer will pay for, a change done right the first time. Everything else is non-value-added, though some is necessary, such as regulatory inspection.
  • Respect for people means engaging the people who do the work in solving problems; it is not a soft add-on. Leaders go to the gemba, ask questions, and develop capability.
  • Push releases work by forecast; pull releases work only when downstream consumption signals a need.

Worked example

A cell runs two shifts of 480 minutes and faces demand of 480 units/day. Takt time = available time / customer demand = 960 / 480 = 2.0 minutes per unit. The bottleneck cycle time is 1.5 minutes, so capacity is 960 / 1.5 = 640 units, apparently enough. Yet the line misses due dates because work is released in batches of 200 and sits between operations. The TPS diagnosis is not to work harder; batch release creates waiting and hides imbalance. Reducing transfer batches and capping WIP should shorten lead time while the takt calculation shows the capacity exists.

Traps

Do not call all non-value work waste if it is required; distinguish necessary non-value-added. Do not treat takt as cycle time. Do not claim TPS is a toolbox; exam answers should connect JIT, jidoka, heijunka, and respect for people. Do not use push and pull as synonyms.

Key points

  • TPS pillars are JIT and jidoka, supported by heijunka, kaizen, and standard work.
  • Value is customer-defined; separate muda, mura, and muri.
  • Takt time = available time / customer demand; it is not cycle time.
  • Respect for people means engaging problem solvers at the gemba.