a. Demonstrate your team's basic understanding of the
TPS by 1) defining in your team's own words any eight of the
terms found at http://www.toyotageorgetown.com/terms.asp, and 2)
applying them to one or more of your team's own companies or
other organizations.
For example, Pokayoke can be defined as an approach to create
mistake proofing through use of devices that detect or prevent
production errors. At a software development firm, pokayoke
might be applied through use of a modular development process
that includes extensive software module testing before proceeding
to module integration and total system testing.
b. Describe the TPS as a total entity. What are its purposes?
Its advantages? Its limitations? How is it now evolving? Is it getting
better or not? Has it been successfully copied by other motor
vehicle manufacturers? Why or why not?
Exercise 2: Use of a Grid Analysis (Weighted Scoring
Model) to Help Make the North American Plant Location
Decision for the RX 330
This exercise illustrates how when deciding among two or more
competing options, various decision factors (which can typically be
characterized as exogenous - in the environment external to the
company, hence largely outside its control - or endogenous -
internal to the company, therefore largely under its control) can be
qualitatively identified, and how these factors can then be weighted
to obtain an overall score for each competing location option.
An example of an exogenous factor is regulations or laws
established by the government where the company operates. An
example of an endogenous factor is the wages the company