respond to 2 classmates post for integrated business operations course

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RESPOND WITH AT LEAST 250 WORDS EACH RESPONSE…APA STYLE, CITE ALL REFERENCES…Do not just say “good post” instead comment about the content of the post. Also write as if you are speaking to the student. NO PLAGIARISM

DISCUSSION 1:

Caitlin Hardegree

BA670

WK 6 Discussion Question

The Toyota Production System, or TPS, is a manufacturing approach developed during a 20-year span by Toyota, an automotive company of Japan. Simply put, TPS has all manufacturing happenings separated into adding value or generating waste. The aim of TPS is to amplify value by eradicating waste. TPS is also synonymous with Lean Manufacturing or Lean Production methods. Finding value in a process can be very difficult for most companies, but once it is found, waste can be pointed out and eliminated. Waste can be identified and sorted into different categories:

  • Overproduction
  • Idle time
  • Unnecessary transport
  • Non-value processing from a customer prospective
  • Superfluous inventory
  • Excessive movement
  • Defects and deficiencies

Benefits of TPS include enhancing customer perceived value, decreasing cost of process, improved quality, and increased competitive advantage (“Toyota Production System (TPS),” n.d.).

Many automotive companies copied, or attempted to copy, Toyota’s production system. The question is not about the process or philosophy, it is the application of the “Toyota way” and additional perplexing issues that have diminished peoples attempts. General Motors, or GM, was one of the companies that tried to duplicate the TPS. They put time and effort into their more efficient manufacturing process but had little success due to numerous factors. Layers of bureaucracy and overhead expenditures made some plants impossible to close, thus leading to bureaucratic momentum. There were many objections from workers and union laws that prohibited retraining of unionized workers. Gm also had overall poor management skills and methods (Lancaster, 2013).

Being an American-made car company is also a serious debilitating factor, unfortunately. Japanese automotive companies are successful and profitable, which means they have available money to invest in a whole new system. Profitability is constantly a constructive feedback loop. Management systems of Japan are also extremely stable, unlike that of the United States and countries in Europe. This allows management to plan for the company many, many years ahead of time, instead of quarter to quarter like that of a traditional US automotive company (Lancaster, 2013).

Lancaster, J. (2013, June 24). Why Don’t All Automakers Copy ‘The Toyota Way’ In Order To Be As Reliable As Toyota? Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2013/06/24/why-…

Toyota Production System (TPS). (n.d.). Retrieved July 31, 2018, from https://www.vorne.com/learning-center/tps.htm

DISCUSSION 2:

Neville Doyley

BA670

WK 6 Discussion Question

Hello all,

The TPS or Toyota Production System was the Japanese automaker’s way of becoming the dominant player in the lucrative car market. The Toyota way simply entailed to “do away with waste, have parts arrive precisely when workers need them, fix problems as soon as they arise” (Surowiecki, 2008, p. 3). Among the difficulties of copying TPS that other car manufacturers face is the fact that Toyota allows for its workers to have an inordinate amount of input on their products. “Toyota implements a million new ideas a year, and most of them come from ordinary workers,” (Surowiecki) and other companies aren’t as open to suggestions from their employees as Toyota. Allowing for these inputs helps the efficiency of the business and helps companies catch problems in-house before they leave the house so to speak. “TPS/Lean is about developing principles for achieving high performance and adding value to customers and society,” (Desper, n.d.) which is done easier when you keep the people constructing the products closer to the action.

There’s also the individualistic nature of the Western worker as compared to the more team player way of working in the East, so the demands on the companies are more. Legacy cost is a real issue for Western car makers as employees at “U.S. auto plant costs around $74, while the same hour of work at a Toyota or Honda plant is closer to $50” (Gold, 2008, p.4). This leaves a company like Toyota with millions of dollars to invest in a system like TPS. The competition in the auto industry is intense and every dollar matters, so duplicating Toyota’s system will always be difficult.

Neville Doyley

Desper, D. (n.d.). BA 670 – Integrated Business Operations [PowerPoint]. Retrieved from https://brenau.instructure.com/courses/1571823/dis…

Gold, J. (2008, December 23). Cutting Worker Costs Key To Automakers’ Survival. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?stor…

Surowiecki, J. (2008, May, 12). The Open Secret of Success. Retrieved from https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/05/12/the-…

 
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