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Toyota Material Handling Presents: The Lean Journey

(Read the video transcript here.)

 

 

Video Transcript

Joshua Smith (00:02):
For Toyota to focus in Atlanta, our definition of the Toyota Lean Journey starts with the world renown Toyota production system. After we developed a second Toyota Lean Management we then move into 5S.

Lee Smith (00:14):
One of our goals is to give everyone that works here the tools they need to do their job. We realized that it’s time to start bringing customers in to see the investment we made in order to support them. And after some of the visits, then they started to ask us can we come to their facility and talk to them about Toyota Lean Management and we said sure.

Joshua Smith (00:35):
Sustaining is so difficult because it’s not in our behavior. In a western mentality, we’re very goal oriented. So once we reach a certain level we think of it as completion and so the continuing habit change is a difficult thing for us to overcome.

Zachary Smith (00:51):
You find yourself organizing your garage and your tools and putting things away and then throughout the month you pull a tool out to work on your truck and you just get in a rush and you end up just throwing it off to the side and you find yourself in this vicious cycle where once very 30 days you’re back there reorganizing your garage. You can clean, you can shine, you can organize, you can standardize, but if you do not sustain it you will find yourself right back where you were. At Toyota, we do not make or sell anything before we put investment in people. That’s why we talked about building a culture of engaged employees that are committed to sustaining these activities within your operation.

Joshua Smith (01:30):
Toyota Lean Management, as of result of a second 5S, has really taught us to empower our people. They begin to see the Japanese term called muda, which is waste. ASEC, at the heart of what it is, gives them the decision making ability to improve a process. Because the people who understand the process the most are the people that are doing that job day in and day out. Whether it be the technician in the service bay or service admin at a desk.

Jim MacGregor (02:01):
You would think that what would have make us the most proud would have been the actual facility but if you really looking at the team members and the collaboration, there’s a real sense of team work and camaraderie. Its rally fun to watch.

Zachary Smith (02:16):
ASEC is all about people. 5S is all about people. Again that last S, sustainment, you cannot do without people. The impact that this would have at a customer location with the superior solution that we bring to market, they Toyota forklift, it does not matter what the price of the equipment is. We’re talking the true lowest cost of ownership. It’s a win-win scenario for our customers.

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