The Machine That Changed the World
The Machine That Changed the World is a 1990 book by James P. Womack, Daniel T. Jones and Daniel Roos, based on MIT's International Motor Vehicle Program, that compared car plants worldwide and popularized the term lean production.
What happened and why it matters
The book carried the Toyota Production System to a broad Western audience under the name lean production, and lean methods now shape how many warehouses and fulfillment centers are run. It drew on a five-year, $5 million study of the auto industry in 14 countries and argued that the best Japanese plants built cars with less labor, space, inventory and defects than mass producers. The word lean was coined by MIT researcher John Krafcik. In fulfillment, lean shows up as standard work at pack stations, slotting to cut walking, small and frequent replenishment, visual management and continuous improvement aimed at removing waste.
People
Related events
Sources
- The Machine That Changed the World (book) (Wikipedia) en.wikipedia.org
- Lean Production (Lean Enterprise Institute) lean.org