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

Whether a group of engineers is developing new cars, software applications, aerospace equipment, kitchen appliances, controls, sensors, or any of hundreds of different items, the process they follow is pretty much the same. Except in one company -- Toyota, perhaps the most innovative and highly respected car company on the planet. What is most startling is that Toyota s product development engineers are four times as productive as their counterparts in other companies, according to a study by the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences. Most follow a linear process in developing new products.

Toyota's engineers do not. As this book reveals and explains, Toyota's development engineers rely on a development paradigm that is totally different than that found in the West. Companies that are early adopters of the Toyota product development system are certain to realize tremendous advantages over their competitors. This is a change that is coming to businesses everywhere and this book shows the way. It is a must-read for anyone in management.

The author was the lead engineer at Texas Instruments on many developmental projects, including both missile and manufacturing systems, and he developed the defense business sector strategy for design automation. As a consultant, Mr. Kennedy works extensively with major manufacturers, including General Motors, United Technologies, Boeing, and Delphi.