Title: TPS-QAS, new production quality management model: key to New JIT – Toyota's global production strategy

Authors: Kakuro Amasaka, Hirohisa Sakai

Addresses: School of Science and Engineering, Aoyama Gakuin University, 5-10-1 Fuchinobe, Sagamihara-shi, Kanagawa-ken, 229-8558, Japan. ' Toyota Motor Corporation, Global Production Center, 1, Motomachi, Toyota-shi, Aichi-ken 471-8573, Japan

Abstract: Recently, the authors have worked out a new management principle named New JIT based on TMS, TDS, TPS and TQM-S to strengthen Toyota|s global production strategy. This paper verifies the effectiveness of the proposed Advancing TPS as the key to New JIT at Toyota. Toward enabling simultaneous production start-up (the same quality and production at optimal locations), an integrated network system that utilises QCIS (Quality Control Information System), ARIM (Availability Reliability Information Administration Monitor), AWD6P/J (Aging & Work Development 6 Project) and V-IOS (Virtual – Intelligence Operator System) by using AOL (Advanced Operator Levels) rank model, the next-generation, production quality management model TPS-QAS (Toyota Production System-Quality Assurance System) is proposed. In cases of application, we take up examples for systematic development of quality assurance technologies to test the validity of TPS-QAS as a new global production quality management system at Toyota.

Keywords: new JIT; advancing TPS; TPS-QAS; QCIS; ARIM; AWD6P/J; AOS rank model; V-IOS; Toyota Production System; global production strategy; Japan; quality management; quality control; QC information systems; availability information; reliability information; automobile industry; automotive manufacturing.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMTM.2009.027774

International Journal of Manufacturing Technology and Management, 2009 Vol.18 No.4, pp.409 - 426

Published online: 10 Aug 2009 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article