TMM Case Study

TMM Case Analysis

By

Taylor Abrams

OPS-660 OPERATIONS, LOGISTICS AND PRODUCTION Dr. Frederick Chen

TMM Case Study As Doug Friesen, what would you do to address the seat problem? Where would you focus your attention and solution efforts? There are many possibly issues and variables that could be causing the seat problem. As Doug Friesen I would first try to establish what the problem is and where it is coming from. Is it a procedural problem on the line, is it an engineering problem in relation to the seats design or is it a defect problem originating from the supplier. Once I gathered my initial facts I would consult my counterparts at the Tsutsumi plant and, see if they could help me trouble shoot the issue. It is important that we not lose sight of the fact that the plant is still adjusting to the TPS system, although it did well with the initial ramp up, the seat variations in the new Camry model and the additional responsibility of becoming the sole supplier of the Camry Wagon could prove to be a problem for a relatively new plant. Once I was done gather my facts I would take a two pronged approach, first I would go to all of my team leaders and share with them my findings to see if what they are experiencing on the line backs up my information, secondly I would institute the 5 whys and try to determine a root cause to the issue.

What options exist? What would you recommend? Why? Many options exist but, it is important that we pin point the issue and deal with it in a manner that does not affect line utilization. First we must recognize that our current method for fixing the problem is not working, it is a direct deviation from Jidoka and, a plant that is still relatively young like the Georgetown plant must strictly adhere to the TPS. It is critical that TMM stick with the proven method that is TPS especially considering the added challenges they are facing with the new model introduction and, the responsibility of becoming the sole supplier of the Camry Wagon. Kaizen must be reinforced to the plant employees; we must regroup and get back to basics. Secondly I would hold a meeting with KFS and, reinforce the need for them to follow lean principles in their seat manufacturing process. The defective seats being sent to the plant are causing non value added work and, are disrupting the value stream and continuous manufacturing flow on our lines.

TMM Case Study Where if at all does the current routine for handling defective seats deviate from the principles of the Toyota Production System? Currently a defective seat is allowed to continue on through the assembly line and, once the car is completed it is sent to clinic 1 for inspection. If it is unable to be fixed at clinic 1 it is then sent to the overflow lot and a new seat is ordered to replace the defective one. There are two issues here, one allowing a defective seat to continue through the line goes against the principle of Jidoka and, secondly allowing this to happen opens the plant up to the seven waste categories that Kaizen is designed to eliminate. By not fixing the problem at its root and, allowing it to go through the line you are creating non value added work at clinic inspection 1 and in the overflow lot. Kaizen principles need to be instituted to fix this problem and eliminate the waste it is creating.

What is the real problem facing Doug Friesen? The real problem is that his plant has deviated from the TPS model and, he not only is unsure how to deal with it but, is not even totally sure that the way they are handling the issue with the defective seats is the problem. They took too long to realize that they had an issue and, once they did they did not follow protocol of establishing the root cause of the problem through the 5 whys method. In the short term Doug needs to Kaizen his off-line routine, cars that are sent to the overflow lot are supposed to be repaired that same shift or the shift immediately following and that is not happening. If he can kaizen the usage of clinic 1 and, the overflow lot and reduce the amount of time cars are in each holding area then he will have a workable short term solution, as it stands now the process currently in place is creating too much non value added work and waste. Once this has been done he needs to work with KFS to reduce the amount of defective seats that are being sent to the plant and, work with his group/team leaders to bolster the line and reduce inefficiency in the seat instillation. The root cause of these problems can be traced to the lack of experience Doug and the rest of the plant have with TPS but, they must to a better job of handling problems real time and not so far after the fact that they become serious enough to jeopardize line production.