Wednesday Wisdom

WHO?

Taiichi Ohno (1912–1990) was a Japanese industrial engineer and businessman. He is best known as one of the key figures in the development of the Toyota Production System (TPS), which became the foundation for lean manufacturing. Lean manufacturing, often referred to simply as "lean," is a production philosophy and management approach that aims to minimize waste while maximizing efficiency and value. Ohno, through his innovative principles, played a crucial role in transforming Toyota into a highly efficient, innovative and world powerhouse automaker.

What he produced

Ohno and fellow engineer Shigeo Shingo's work laid the groundwork for lean manufacturing principles, emphasizing efficiency, waste reduction, and continuous improvement. These principles have been widely adopted across industries globally. Ohno introduced Jidoka (Autonomation) by building quality into the production process by providing machines and operators the ability to detect and stop the production line in case of defects. While visiting the United States, Ohno was impressed with supermarket chain Piggly Wiggly ability to keep their shelves stocked with the right amount of inventory. Back in Japan, Ohno introduced Just-in-Time Production were producing items at the exact time they are needed in the production process to minimize waste and inventory costs. To manage the process, he introduced the Kanban System, a visual signaling system (Kanban cards) to control the flow of materials and production, allowing for a pull-based system.

Kanban is the combination of Japanese words Kan meaning visual or see and Ban meaning card or board. It is a Workflow Management system that focuses on visualizing the workflow and optimizing the efficiency of the existing process. Kanban provides a logical and flexible system that based on demand rather than time and on the progress of the manufacturing process.

2023 why do we care?

The legacy of Ohno is a set of management and production philosophies that have reshaped the way businesses approach efficiency, quality, and continuous improvement. His ideas have become foundational in lean thinking and have had a lasting impact on various industries worldwide. Microsoft Corp relies on the principles of Kanban as well as Steve Jobs when he developed the Macintosh and NeXT computer.

The software industry relies heavily on workflow and product management systems. The Agile Manifesto was created in 2001 by a group of software developers and it outlines the core values and principles of Agile development. Agile software development teams will use processes like Kanban, Scrum and Extreme Programming when executing every level of production.

Taiichi Ohno developed the Kanban system in the late 1940’s and his system has been changed, developed for specific industries and comingled. Despite originating in the mid-20th century for automobile industry, Taiichi Ohno's foundational principles of visualizing work, limiting work in process, prioritizing flow, and emphasizing continuous improvement have endured as a logical and relevant approach in modern industry."

And now you know...

Philosophy is the art of thinking, the building block of progress that shapes critical thinking across economics, ethics, religion, and science. 

METAPHYSICS: Literally, the term metaphysics means ‘beyond the physical.’ Typically, this is the branch that most people think of when they picture philosophy. In metaphysics, the goal is to answer the what and how questions in life. Who are we, and what are time and space?

LOGIC: The study of reasoning. Much like metaphysics, understanding logic helps to understand and appreciate how we perceive the rest of our world. More than that, it provides a foundation for which to build and interpret arguments and analyses. 

ETHICS: The study of morality, right and wrong, good and evil. Ethics tackles difficult conversations by adding weight to actions and decisions. Politics takes ethics to a larger scale, applying it to a group (or groups) of people. Political philosophers study political governments, laws, justice, authority, rights, liberty, ethics, and much more.

AESTHETICS: What is beautiful? Philosophers try to understand, qualify, and quantify what makes art what it is. Aesthetics also takes a deeper look at the artwork itself, trying to understand the meaning behind it, both art as a whole and art on an individual level. A question an aesthetics philosopher would seek to address is whether or not beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.

EPISTEMOLOGY: This is the study and understanding of knowledge. The main question is how do we know? We can question the limitations of logic, how comprehension works, and the ability (or perception) to be certain.2