Toyota Lean Clusters Programme Resource Page

Toyota are generally credited as being the source of Lean and Lean thinking in business. When Dan Jones and Jim Womack first tried to understand why Toyota were doing what they were doing and why they were so very good at it – they coined the phrase “Lean”. They identified the Toyota Production System – TPS as the foundation for Toyota’s success.  

Today many of the world’s leading companies have developed their “own” versions of Lean and their own “Production Systems”. There are many similarities and differences between the various Production Systems, but Toyota are at the core of what works, globally. A key element of Toyota success has been the Toyota Production System, but always allied with the Toyota Way…The Big “Why” that drives Toyota team Members to always look to improve.

A fundamental basis within Toyota is that everyone needs to work to understand the Toyota Way and the Toyota production System…everyone has a responsibility to develop their own understanding. These resources will help you to develop YOUR own understanding so that you can apply the basic principles within your own operation. Success is very much dependent on you taking the time and making the effort to absorb, develop and use the basic thinking to make your own business better. These resources will help you do just that, to develop your understanding of tools, techniques and to answer the how and why questions of making them your own, for your business, with your people!

Professor Richard Keegan

Adjunct Associate Professor 
Lean Operational Excellence
Trinity Business School
Trinity College Dublin

Resources

Since 2009, the Toyota Lean Management Centre, Deeside, have been coaching companies on the Toyota Way and the Toyota Production System. For more information on Lean Training at Deeside, please select the following link: https://tlmc.toyotauk.com/

For more information on the world-renowned Toyota Production System please follow the link to the Toyota Global website: 
http://www.toyota-global.com/company/vision_philosophy/toyota_productio…

Toyota in Everyman Language (2021) by Richard Keegan 

Kindly provided by Professor Keegan especially for the Toyota Lean Clusters Programme, this material is presented in a way to explain how and why Toyota works and why they do so. Key words and concepts are presented in the “Toyota” way and are then explained in normal language. . It is designed to give you a basic understanding of the Why and How of Toyota, how they constantly move to develop themselves to be able to operate. It is not as set of tools, they will be provided by the Toyota Lean Management Centre as part of Welsh Government Toyota Lean Cluster Programme.

Please use the following link to read Toyota...In Everyman Language: Toyota… In Everyman Language (gov.wales)

This is Lean – Resolving the efficiency paradox (2012) by Niklas Modig

‘Lean is the most widespread management philosophy of our time and is currently present in every industry, yet the concept is still vaguely defined and widely misunderstood’ 

This book has brought greater clarification to the essence of lean and revolutionized top-executives and employees understanding of what lean actually is. The authors have kindly allowed the Welsh Government to share chapters 5 & 6 of their book, which we hope will be beneficial for those engaging with the Toyota Lean Clusters Programme.

Atomic Habits (2018) by James Clear 

This first chapter refers to the system we know as marginal gains. The author looks at the impact Sir David Brailsford (a Welsh speaker) had on both the British Cycling and Sky Cycling teams. It looks at how continuous, small (1%) improvements, when added up, can make transformational gains through the concept of compound interest.  

DigitaLean: The Road to Transformation (2021) by Richard Keegan, Heiko Gierhardt & Stefan Schmidt. 

Kindly provided by Professor Richard Keegan, the first chapter of this e-book introduces concepts such as 'The Big Why' and the 'Five Rings of Digital Transformation'. Focusing on the importance of Digital Transformation, Keegan aims to show that by using both digital and lean principles to solve the problems of business, your organisation can successfully transform. 

Basic LEAN Tools: Practical Steps to Build Competitiveness by Richard Keegan 

This booklet provides the basics of Lean to help you on your journey to achieve world class levels of competitiveness. It outlines the first steps along the lean journey and signposts you to the next parts of that journey. It is NOT intended to give you deep insight into Toyota Production System or the tools that the Toyota Lean Management Centre will share with you, but it is intended to give you an insight into what they are trying to share, what they are trying to teach you, presented in a simple way. 

Case Studies

All of our TLC Success Stories are available to view on our Case Studies page.

Toyota Lean Clusters, Lean Start 1 – October 2021

Our first Lean Start began in October 2021 and saw 5 Welsh companies through their Lean journey until May 2022. Our inaugural companies: Raytheon Technologies UK, Hanson Cement Padeswood, Fitzgerald Plant Services Ltd, SO Modular Ltd and GTS Flexible Materials have been kind enough to share their successes and the impact that the TLC Programme has had on their projects, colleagues, and day to day duties. All of this information has been recorded and can be found in the Welsh Government, Toyota Lean Clusters Programme booklet.

For Lean Management Case Studies, please follow this link Enterprise Ireland (enterprise-ireland.com) to the Enterprise Ireland website.

Case Studies from Welsh organisations will be available here as the programme progresses.