Poka Yoke - Mistake Proofing

• Japanese term for mistake proofing
• Originally named Baka Yoke (Meaning Idiot - proofing), but later changed to the milder Poka Yoke :-)
• Method to prevent errors
• Formalised and adopted by Shigeo Shingo.

Examples of Poka Yoke

The Toyota Way

TPS is set of lean tools and techniques and the Toyota Way provides governing principles for TPS. 

The Toyota Way is a set of principles and behaviors that underlie the Toyota Motor Corporation's managerial approach and production system (Wikipedia).

14 Principles divided into 4 sections. 

1. Long-Term Philosophy
2. The Right Process Will Produce the Right Results
3. Add Value to the Organization by Developing Your People
4. Continuously Solving Root Problems Drives Organizational Learning

Muda, Muri, Mura

Autonomation vs. Automation

• Autonomation (Jidoka), is applied to a machine with a built-in device for making judgments. In the case of Toyota, it was the power looms with a built-in mechanism that stopped the machine when the thread broke. 
• Automation is applied to the machine as a whole that allows to "move" on its own. 

TPS - Ohno's Journey

• 1930's Toyota struggled. Japanese market too small, and demand too fragmented. 
• 1950s Eiji Toyoda goes on a 12-week study tour of US plants to study the Ford motor system. 
• After return Toyoda assigns Ohno the task of focus on improving Toyota's production. 
• Realized they need to adopt mass producing mechanism. 
• Ohno
• Benchmarked the competition
• Further tours to US
• Studied Ford's book (Today & Tomorrow) - Ford's Moving Assembly Line.
• Pull System - 
• In any well-run supermarket, individual items are replenished as each item begins to run low on the shelf. Material replenishment is initiated by consumption. 
• Implemented Kanban to signal to the prev step when its parts needed to be replenished (with the help of visual cards). Thus the concept of JIT was evolved. 
• Implemented Jidoka
• Implemented Kaizen (based on Deming's PDCA cycle)
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