Toyota Supply Chain Management: A Strategic Approach to the Principles of Toyota's Renowned System

Ananth V. Iyer · Sridhar Seshadri · Roy Vasher

Mar 2009 · McGraw Hill Professional

About this ebook

The Toyota Production System is the benchmark used throughout the world for “lean” thinking. Now you can model your own processes after those of the company that “wrote the book on supply chain management.”

Written by two experts on the subject, along with a former Toyota senior executive, this book details the most celebrated supply chain operation in the world to help you form an integrated, synchronized system that will be the envy of your industry.

You will find key insight into the logic behind every point of Toyota’s supply chain, along with both the tactics and strategies you can use to build an outstanding system of your own. Toyota Supply Chain Management explains how to achieve balance and efficiency by focusing on:

• Variety: Determine your variety of offerings based on operational efficiency and market demand
• Velocity: Maintain a steady flow through all processes of the supply chain
• Variability: Manage inconsistencies carefully to reduce cost and improve quality
• Visibility: Ensure the transparency of all processes to enable continuous learning and improvement

The authors provide valuable insider tips and offer hands-on guidance for improvingproduction and operations in a variety of industries, including health care, insurance, banking, credit processing, and retailing.

With careful attention paid to every aspect of the subject—from principles and theories to operations and best practices—Toyota Supply Chain Management is the most comprehensive, insightful guide to forging a world-class supply chain system.

About the author

Ananth V. Iyer is a Susan Bulkeley Butler Chair in Operations Management at the Krannert School of Management, Purdue University. His supply-chain expertise spans a wide range of industries, from groceries and apparel to garbage pickup and automobiles.

Sridhar Seshadri is associate professor at the Stern School of Business, New York University, whose areas of research include buyer-supplier coordination and risk management in supply chains.

Roy Vasher is a former Toyota senior executive. In 1999, Vasher played a leading role in the company's efforts to reduce order-to-delivery lead time; in 2004, he served as best-practice consultant at Toyota's European headquarters during a similar initiative.