Main Differences Between Detroit-Style Production And The Japanese Model

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What are the main differences between Detroit-style production and the Japanese model and why flexible production methods are difficult to implement in all types of institutional settings?
A manufacturing system is a process that involves the systematic conversion of input into sellable output. The conversion method is highly reliant on the type and nature of demand of the product. Production is often classified into two broad categories; intermittent and continuous production. Intermittent production is preferable in situations where the demand for the product is seasonal and the product lacks standardization. In contrast, continuous production is common in companies that require production on a large scale. As a case in point, in the 1930’s …show more content…

This system has various features that were not present in the Detroit style production system, such as lean manufacturing. The founders of the company Sakichi Toyoda and his son greatly appreciated the ideology of lean manufacturing. However, the success that was being experienced in Denver drove the founders to be inquisitive about the process used in the assembly line. Upon visiting the US, the Toyota team was unimpressed by the Denver philosophy. As a result they set out and developed the Toyota philosophy that envisages the rationalization of the production process. It further eliminates three main elements from the process; inconsistency, overburden, and waste. The Toyota philosophy is supposedly flexible enough and free from production wastes. According to the system there are 7 types of waste; waiting, inventory, correction, over-production, conveyance, the processing, and motion (Chiarini, …show more content…

The Detroit model pushes for large-scale manufacturing with an aim of creating large stock backed by demand estimates.
Standardization
Both companies embraced the idea of standardization of the equipment, process, and components. Earlier cars used to be individually custom-built, using parts that would only work on that specific vehicle. Ford pushed for the use of interchangeable parts that would be achieved once all the individual car parts were made similarly every time. All individual car parts would fit into any other vehicle of a similar model. This standardization would make it possible for the process to be broken down into various steps. Workers are trained to specialize on one single step through division of labor.
Rate of Output
The Japanese model involves a continual production system where it is produced in quantities that are determined by consumer demand. There is no pile up of finished inventory that is waiting sale. The Detroit model which is inefficient at best, involves the production of goods at a uniform pace irrespective of demand. This creates a huge stock of produce in anticipation of

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