Homework: GBM 500

Lean Manufacturing Case: Toyota Motors

Toyota is a Japanese multinational company, founded in 1933 by Kiichiro Toyoda. In the 1980 Toyota first caught the attention of the world, when it was noticed there was something special about Japanese quality and efficiency. Japanese cars lasted longer than American cars and require fewer repairs.

Product and Services

The Japanese multinational company Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world. It produces one of the most popular brands of imported cars in the United States (Bhasin & Burcher, p. 98). Toyota introduced the first mass-produced gas/electric hybrid car (the Prius) in 2000, and continues to be an innovation leader in developing energy efficient and alternate fuel vehicles.

Lean Production System in Toyota Motors

Toyota's lean production system effectively minimizes waste and allocates resources during the production manufacturing. Toyota's lean strategy focuses on doing more with fewer resources (Shah & Ward, p. 149). The lean production system focuses resources where there is need and uses multi-skilled workers cross-functionally. Lean is a concept that can be defined as a process or a set of methodologies, tools and techniques that leave behind them a trail of successes in bringing about effective resource allocation.

Lean strategy of Toyota also focuses on changing the mindset of all its employees. The company feels that the interest of the management must be aligned with front-line employees. Toyota feels that it is important to communicate to their employees the importance of efficiency, effectiveness and low cost. Management is encouraged to go where front-line employees work and communicate and listen (Shah & Ward, p. 149).

Clean Production Technology Case: ACINDAR

The company is one of the largest steel companies in Argentina and is a leader in non-flat steel production. Since its founding in 1942, it has played an important role in consolidating the country's industrialization, as well as the continuous incorporation of new technologies to improve production quality and the preservation of the environment (Maxwell, p. 74-86). The main industrial center of Acindar is in the town of Villa Constitucion, Santa Fe Province, covering an area of ??394 hectares of which 220,000 m belong to its comprehensive facilities. The plant has a production capacity of 1,200,000 tons of crude steel, which is subjected to various processes: reduction of iron ore, making steel in electric furnaces and continuous casting with rolling stages, and manufacturing of wires and tubular products for products such as billets, rods, strips, construction and iron bars. In 1998, sales were $ 672 million (OECD, p. 25-30).

Production Process

The production process in the semi-integrated Villa Constitution begins with the reduction of iron ore directly in reduction plants with a 1,000,000 tons capacity. This product, along with loads of scrap, alloys inputs to produce three electric furnaces, after the continuous casting processes (Maxwell, p. 74-86). The material produced is used in subsequent rolling processes for the production of wire rods, bars and strips.

Use of Green Production Technologies

The steel industry transformed intrinsic production processes according to the magnitude of resources involved. These impacts may be diverse, with emissions resulting ...