The Evolution of a Manufacturing System at Toyota

  • 7h 54m
  • Takahiro Fujimoto
  • Oxford University Press (US)
  • 1999

What is the true source of a firm's long-term competitive advantage in manufacturing? Through original field studies, historical research, and statistical analyses, this book shows how Toyota Motor Corporation, one of the world's largest automobile companies, built distinctive capabilities in production, product development, and supplier management. Fujimoto asserts that it is Toyota's evolutionary learning capability that gives the company its advantage and demonstrates how this learning is put to use in daily work.

In this Book

  • An Evolutionary Framework for Manufacturing
  • System Emergence at Toyota—History
  • System Emergence at Toyota—Reinterpretation
  • The Anatomy of Manufacturing Routines—An Information View
  • Evolution of the Black Box Parts Supplier System
  • Evolution of Product Development Routines
  • Evolution of Toyota's New Assembly System
  • Conclusion—Toyota as a “Prepared Organization”
  • Notes
  • Reference