What Really Makes Toyota’s Production System Resilient

What Really Makes Toyota’s Production System Resilient

Summary.   Toyota has fared better than many of its competitors in riding out the supply chain disruptions of recent years. But focusing on how Toyota had stockpiled semiconductors and the problems of other manufacturers, some observers jumped to the conclusion that the era of the vaunted Toyota Production System was over. Not the case, say Toyota…

How Much Time Does It Take To Complete a Lean Transformation?

How Much Time Does It Take To Complete a Lean Transformation?

This article courtesy of theleanmag, a content partner of the Operational Excellence Society. Ah, so before you get started your first question is “when will we be done?” Seriously, that’s how you think? If it is then my advice is don’t even start. You obviously don’t understand what the term “lean” means so all you…

Should Safety Stock Include Demand Forecast Error?

Yes, I’m broaching a hot topic. This article is deliberately not exhaustive, leaving plenty of room for further discussion. My intent: to encourage constructive, informative conversation among my many LinkedIn supply-chain experts. I have done my best to ensure that I have supported all my assertions with facts, analysis and calculations. Here is my theme: Forecast-to-actual demand variation has no…

Safety-Stock Calculations Are Risky – Demand, Lead Time and Service Level

This is a big and touchy topic, I know. I intend only to begin a dialog, not present an exhaustive treatise. First, let me define what I mean by “safety stock,” or SS: Not the restrictive, MRP-specific adder to gross requirements, but the general concept of buffer inventory. SS, determined correctly and optimally, protects against random variations…