Value Stream Mapping

Value Stream Mapping Toyota's Global Supply Chain Toyota is considered one of the world's innovators when it comes to the principles of lean manufacturing. It introduced two concepts which, though they seem self-explanatory, were revolutionary at the time of their introduction. The first concept is called Just-in-Time (JIT). The second concept is called Jidoka. JIT refers to the idea that parts arrive when they are needed; they do not sit on the factory floor.

It also refers to the ordering process; the factory does not have a significant overstock of parts; it is stocked with the parts it needs to meet production demands. The concept of Jidoka refers to the idea that automation should not mean losing the human influence on manufacturing. At the Toyota factories, the workers are expected to play a continued role in quality control, so that any worker can halt production at any point to solve a problem.

How Toyota Trucking Routes in North America Interact with the Supply Chain Toyota's trucking routes are an important part of the JIT process, and Toyota adjusts trucking routes approximately 10 times a year to ensure that trucking routes remain as efficient as possible given changes in production demand at the different North American production plants. Toyota strives to use direct routes from its suppliers or have its trucks pick up from suppliers in route, so that they arrive at separation centers or regional crossdocks with full trucks to maximize efficiency.

Parts are sorted at these centers and then delivered to the plant, so that they are ready to use as soon as they reach the factory. Toyota Supply Chain Management for a Specific Product: The Movement.