Product Development for the Lean Enterprise: Why Toyota's System Is Four Times More Productive and How You Can Implement It

This is the must-read of the decade for anyone whose livelihood depends on new products. Those familiar with industry today know western companies are scrambling to emulate the Toyota Production System. But most don't realize that Toyota's new product development system is every bit as important to Toyota's ongoing success. If they've heard that Toyota's development engineers are four times more productive than their western counterparts, they probably chalk it up to Toyota Production System techniques. But they're wrong in doing so. While both systems deliver extremely high productivity, and both free people to do their best, there really aren't many similarities in how the systems work. Such techniques as concurrent engineering and parallel development are used to increase options and creative possibilities while at the same time lowering the risk of failure. No company that depends on an ongoing flow of new and improved products can afford to ignore the revelations this book contains or the potential advantages in terms of productivity and creativity that can accrue from the Toyota method.

After 30 years with Texas Instruments, the author now works extensively with the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences, and companies such as General Motors, United Technologies, and Allied Signal, to enhance product development systems. This book is an outgrowth of a nationwide study involving a wide spectrum of companies to determine and document the most effective product development methodology.