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Person
Kiichiro Toyoda
Founded Toyota's automobile business and seeded the ideas behind just-in-time production.
- Founded
- 1937
- Lifespan
- 1894–1952
- Country
- Japan
- Industries
- Automotive, Manufacturing
The problem
Building cars efficiently with limited capital and resources required avoiding the waste of large inventories.
The innovation
Toyoda promoted producing only what was needed, when it was needed — an early expression of the just-in-time idea that later matured into the Toyota Production System.
Why it mattered
Reducing inventory and surfacing problems quickly improved both quality and cost.
Lasting impact
Lean manufacturing, derived from these ideas, has been adopted far beyond the automotive industry.