Machine That Changed the World

Lean production (now frequently called Lean manufacturing) has melded into several industries here in the United States, but back when this book was written, it was just catching on. I read the book in 2000. Many of the concepts are still worthwhile in this book, both for the historical significance as well as the lean ideas presented. The Machine that Changed the World is a fascinating book that teaches what the Japanese learned and how to apply their ideas to the US auto market. Competition is always tough, but these tools provides a competitive advantage to those companies who embrace them and make them part of doing business. Not all ideas are applicable to every application, but there are plenty of diamonds to be farmed here. Well trained employees, a commitment to excellence by everyone (from the janitor to the CEO), teamwork, flexibility of skill sets, and learning lessons from successes and failures are all important elements of lean manufacturing. Setting up manufacturing lines efficiently, working closely with suppliers, line smoothing, encouraging innovative and cost saving suggestions and much more are also critical lean concepts. Lean manufacturing doesn't happen overnight and a company and its employees must be diligent in their efforts to put high quality products at reasonable prices out the door. The Machine that Changed the World is highly rated by many people and should be. It has timeless ideas to produce higher quality products and recommends never being completely satisfied. Well written and researched, this is a top notch book! The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide to: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking

A visiting professor recommended this book when I asked him about the LEAN philosophy. What is great about this book is how it introduces the birth of not only the LEAN concept, but also the MASS PRODUCTION which preceded and still dominates the world of manufacturing. With its timeline based structure, this book shows how and why the complex automotive industry is changing to LEAN. All other industries tend to follow...

Since the beginning of the 50's, Toyota has been a making a revolution in the way corporation works. A real unique approach named lean has been allowing the company to achieve superior performance concurrently in manufacturing, product development and suppliers management. The Machine brings to the reader a wide explanation of "Toyota Way". If you are looking for a book about Lean and you'd like to understand Toyota, it certainly should be your first choice!

This book kept my interest. The lean production concept used in Japan automakers was clearly demonstrated as a superior way to American mass production. I can see how lean production can be transferred to other industries than auto manufacturing. The book also contained the history behind mass production and lean production, which was interesting. The insight into automakers in Japan, America, and Europe was also very enlightening.

This is the best unbiased insight into the operations of the auto industry with great insights into the best practices for design, manufacturing, and marketing. The lessons taught are applicable to any manufacturing industry, especially one that operates on a global basis. It shatters myth, mysteries, and legends and replaces it with scientific data that solidifies the concepts of lean business. A must read for all manufacturing professionals at any level.