Sequencing problem for a mixed-model assembly line in the Toyota production system

The paper discusses a sequencing problem of a mixed-model assembly line in the Toyota Motor Corporation production system, which is well known as the Just-in-Time production system. Whenever a worker in the assembly line finds that he might fail to complete his operations within the work zone, he pushes a button to call an auxiliary worker who assists him in the operations. If he can complete the operations within his work zone with the help of the auxiliary worker, the line does not stop. Otherwise, the line stops. In the Toyota production system, it is very important to keep a constant rate of usage of every part used by the assembly line. Hence, there are two goals for the sequencing problem in the Toyota production system. The paper provides a new formulation for the sequencing problem with two goals. It considers the goal of keeping the constant rate of part usage as a constraint of the sequencing problem, and it formulates a sequencing problem of minimizing the total line stoppage time with auxiliary workers and the constraints for keeping the constant rate of part usage. Since this problem is NP-hard and the size of the practical problems at Toyota are huge, a two-phase approximation algorithm is proposed. Numerical examples show that the proposed algorithm is efficient and can find a good suboptimal solution.     

准时制生产物流在中国汽车行业的应用

通过准时化物流的考虑方法以及在日本的发展状况,提出了两种重要的物流方式:巡回混载取货方式和中继地物流方式.在此基础上,分析了广汽丰田汽车有限公司准时制生产物流的应用情况,指出了三大物流运作模式的运用和操作的特点;为中国企业运用准时化物流提供了借鉴,并总结了中国企业发展准时制物流的可行性.     

汽车工业正处于彻底变革的时期─—尝试新的规则,形成精益生产,会怎样?

德国和欧洲汽车工业处于彻底变革的时期，其推动力来自日本丰田的精益生产原则。描述了精益生产的意义和要点，强调了其核心是由富有活力的员工组成的团队，提出了对欧洲汽车工业行动要求需采取的步骤和措施，     

The effectiveness of automatic belts in reducing fatality rates in Toyota Cressidas

Toyota Cressidas have had motor driven automatic belts since 1981. Their observed use rates have been consistently close to 100%. This paper compares fatality rates in Toyota Cressidas with those in the similar Nissan Maximas (which are equipped with three-point manual belts) using the latest data from the Fatal Accident Reporting System. After making adjustments for differences in the average ages of front seat occupants of the two fleets, the Toyotas have a fatality rate that is about three-quarters that of the Nissans. From this, the fatality-reducing effectiveness for the Toyota automatic belts is estimated to be 40% with an uncertainty of ±8%. This effectiveness estimate is consistent with earlier estimates of automatic belt effectiveness.     

汽车行业冲压加工生产率的研究与分析

汽车行业中冲压加工法在欧美、日本等汽车公司得到了高度重视,特别是日本丰田汽车公司经过长期的分析和不断优化改进,创立了快速换模工作法,以最少的资源投入获取最大的冲压生产效率。据此研究并掌握精益生产方式,从而大幅度提高生产效率,缩小与先进发达国家汽车行业的差距。     

Comparison Test of Several OTF Measuring Equipments in Japan

Even now many problems still exist with regard to the reliability of OTF measuring equipments which are being used in many optical companies or laboratories. In Japan, for a one year period beginning in 1967, comparison OTF tests had been carried out on ten typical Japanese equipments. In these tests the MTF's of the same sample lens under assigned conditions were measured with every equipment and the results obtained were compared with one another.     

为什么中国没有实践丰田生产方式成功典范

深刻剖析了阻碍中国企业学习、模仿和实践丰田生产方式成功的根本因素。作者强调,社会体制与公平制度的完善,企业社会责任意识与增强,是获得丰田生产方式成功的两大支拄。     

Exploratory study of the adoption of manufacturing technology innovations in the USA and the UK

Manufacturing technologies, appropriately implemented, provide competitive advantage to manufacturers. The use of manufacturing technologies across countries is difficult to compare. One such comparison has been provided in the literature with a study of US and Japanese practices in advanced manufacturing technology use using a common questionnaire. The present study compares the use of 17 different technologies in similar industries in the USA ( n = 1025) and UK ( n = 166) using a common questionnaire. Largely, there are remarkable similarities between the two countries. This may partly correlate with the heavy traffic in foreign direct investment between the two nations. Notable differences are (1) across-the-board, US manufacturers are ahead of the UK firms in computerized integration with units inside and outside manufacturing organizations; (2) US manufacturers show higher labour productivity, which is consistent with macro-economic data, and (3) more UK manufacturers report the use of soft technologies such as just-in-time, total quality manufacturing and manufacturing cells. Hypotheses for future investigation are proposed.     

Citation analysis of foreign sources in Japanese geographical serials

A comparison of sources cited in the Japanese language Geographical Review of Japan and six western language, Japanese geographical serials reveals that while both cite the same proportion of foreign sources (a third), authors tend to select Japanese sources which are written in the language of the host publication. Foreign sources in the Japanese literature are overwhelmingly from the English language world, especially the United States, with a small admixture in German, from the F.R. Germany. The proportion of foreign sources in the Japanese literature appears to be in decline.     

Toyota production system and Kanban system Materialization of just-in-time and respect-for-human system

The Toyota Production System and Kanban System introduced in this paper was developed by the Vice-President of Toyota Motor Company, Mr. Taiiohi Ohno, and it was under his guidance that these unique production systems have become deeply rooted in Toyota Motor Company in the past 20 years. There are two major distinctive features in these systems. One of these is the ‘just-in-time production ’, a specially important factor in an assembly industry such as automotive manufacturing. In this type of production, “ only the necessary products, at the necessary time, in necessary quantity ” are manufactured, and in addition, the stock on hand is held down to a minimum. Second, the System is the ‘respect-for-human’ system where the workers are allowed to display in full their capabilities through active participation in running and improving their own workshops.     

Progress in Optics; Volume XI

The Japan Camera and Optical Instruments Inspection and Testing Institute (JCII) is an independent organization established to ensure the quality of Japanese cameras and optical instruments to be exported from Japan. On behalf of the Japanese Government, JCII does not allow the export of these products unless they have passed the JCII's export inspection, which is carried out in two stages: the type test and lot inspection. The former is related mainly to reliability and durability; the latter, the individual product's performance. Special mention is made of the research and development work conducted in order to improve the quality of products. Some JCII-developed instruments, such as the computer-controlled multi-purpose spectrophotometer, the JCII standard type flash meter, the OTF measuring equipment and the electronic flash units endurance tester, are mentioned in detail.     

汽车行业本地化分阶段准时供货的实例

日本丰田汽车公司首创了准时生产方式，要求供应商准时供货。1990以来，上海汽车制造行业的一批合资企业开始了对准时生产模式的尝试，并在准时供货方面取得了一定的经验。本文介绍了在我国现有的国情下，过渡期本地化的准时供货的实践，讨论了准时供货存在的问题及相应的解决对策。     

Stochastic analysis of TPS: expose and eliminate variability by highly specifying WCP

A production system is designed with three elements: works, connections and pathways (WCP), which cover how people work, how people connect and how the production line is constructed, from the point of view of a flow unit. The design principle of highly specifying WCP leads to two operations pillars that support the Toyota production system (TPS): just-in-time (JIT) and autonomation. Some stochastic models are proposed to verify the logic of highly specifying work for JIT. The stochastic models show that works are highly specified to reduce the variability whereas highly specifying connections and pathways without resource pooling expose variability in works as low inventory exposes the hidden problems in a factory. To achieve JIT, highly specifying works in each workstation is fundamental; the key solution is to reduce the variability of works. The information entropy theory is used to verify the logic of highly specifying WCP for autonomation. Highly specifying WCP can reduce the information needed by workers to identify and solve problems in the flow unit.     

牌坊与鸟居映射下的中日传统建筑比较研究

从牌坊和鸟居这两种具体的建筑类型入手,旨在探讨中日建筑的同源性和差异性,并试图寻找中日传统建筑异同的根本原因,从而帮助人们更好地了解中日两国文化的差异性,以及不同文化背景对传统建筑设计思想和建筑形式的重要影响。主要通过比较研究的方法,首先探究牌坊和鸟居建筑的渊源,了解两种建筑的同源性,其次从中日两国不同的民族性格、文化特征、美学思想入手,探讨中日两国审美特征的差异性,在了解其他国家文化的同时重新认识并构筑本国文化。日本的许多文化曾以中国文化为原型,在吸收融合之后形成了自己独特的外观形式和审美特征,“侘寂”、“物哀”、“幽玄”等美学思想深深扎根于日本民族的审美活动之中,又对日本的器具、建筑产生深远影响,同时中国传统美学中的儒家精神及道家精神也深深地影响着中国造物设计的方方面面。通过对比研究人们可以更清晰地认识到中日审美特征的异同,而作为当代设计师,人们应当取长补短,在传统建筑中重新探索设计灵感并综合利用各种因素来创新发展具有民族特色的设计作品。     

Differences in Dialysis Practice Are the Main Reasons for the High Mortality Rate in the United States Compared to Japan

The cumulative survival of Japanese hemodialysis patients is more than 2.5 times better than that of dialysis patients in the United States (U.S.). The difference is particularly pronounced in older patients, being 4 times better in patients over the age of 50 years. The mortality in U.S. patients has increased from 10 to 25% over the last three decades, but has remained stable at around 10% in Japan.
There is no obvious difference in patient selection. The Japanese accept almost as high a proportion of diabetic patients as does the United States, and the mean age of incident patients is higher in Japan.
Renal transplantation, virtually absent in Japan, should increase mortality in U.S. dialysis patients by removing patients with the highest probability of survival, but even if one adds surviving transplant patients and studies prevalent populations, the survival rate is much better in Japan. Genetic factors are unlikely to explain differences in mortality, as older Americans live much longer than older Japanese.
We speculate that the difference lies in the practice of dialysis. Patients in the United States are generally treated by much faster and shorter dialysis than in Japan. This puts a severe burden on the cardiovascular system of older patients, leading to the poorer survival rate. Japanese physicians also appear to be better trained in dialysis and to spend more time with their patients. The nursing shortage in the United States may also contribute to the increased mortality. Whatever the explanations, the U.S. dialysis community must work to equal and, hopefully, surpass the now superior survival of Japanese dialysis patients.     

中日传统锯作工具对比研究

目的 以中日两国传统锯作工具为研究对象,详细剖析了中式框锯与日式前挽锯、单刃锯和双刃锯的关联及差异,探讨两国锯形设计优缺点,旨在为框锯的现代化改进提供一定参考,为中国传统木作工具的活态保护及可持续发展提供理论依据。方法 以文献调查、案例剖析、功能解析、对比分析为手段,阐释中日传统锯作工具的历史演进关系,系统比较两国传统锯作工具在锯身结构、齿形结构、使用方式、加工性能五个方面的异同。结论 比较发现,锯身结构方面中日两国分别以“框架式”和“刀柄式”为主要结构形式;齿形结构上日本传统锯锯齿的楔角更小,且排列上具有前大后小前疏后密的特点;操作上中日分别以“推锯”和“拉锯”为主流;修锯方面,传统框锯易调修,日本锯因涉及锯身调整对综合技术要求更高;框锯锯割效率高,加工表面精度低于双刃锯。     

A first look at multiple institutional affiliations: a study of authors in Germany,Japan and the UK

This study sheds light on the unexplored phenomenon of multiple institutional affiliations using scientific publications. Institutional affiliations are important in the organisation and governance of science. Multiple affiliations may alter the traditional framework of academic employment and careers and may require a reappraisal of institutional assessment based on research outcomes of affiliated staff. Results for authors in three major science and technology nations (Germany, Japan and the UK) and in three fields (biology, chemistry, and engineering) show that multiple affiliations have at least doubled over the past few years. The analysis proposes three major types of multiple affiliations that depend on the structure of the research sector and its international openness. Highly internationalised and higher education-centred affiliations are most common for researchers in the UK whereas Germany and Japan have stronger cross-sector affiliation patterns. International multiple affiliations are, however, still more common in Germany compared to Japan which is characterised by a domestic, cross-sector affiliation distribution. Moreover, multiple affiliation authors are more often found on high impact papers, particularly in the case of authors from Japan and Germany in the fields of biology and chemistry.     

日本文化对DIY手刻橡皮图章图案的影响

DIY手刻橡皮图章最早流行于日本、韩国,日本文化对其影响较大。日本文化可以分为传统文化和现代文化,传统家纹文化和现代设计文化分别为传统文化和现代文化的代表,两者都从某种层面上影响着DIY手刻橡皮图章的图案风格。DIY手刻橡皮图章的图案选择很大一部分来源于日本传统家纹,其创作风格也继承了传统家纹线面结合的表现手法。受到现代设计文化的影响,DIY手刻橡皮图章的图案素材体现出国际化的趋势,其艺术风格也呈现出多元化的态势;其功能用途也发生了改变,广泛应用于包装设计、服装设计及生活情感等领域。     

Supplier development at Honda, Nissan and Toyota: comparative case studies of organizational capability enhancement

What factors facilitate and constrain the sustained developmentand replication of organizational capabilities of suppliers?This question is addressed in a comparison of historical casestudies of Toyota, Nissan and Honda in Japan. First, as expected,replication difficulty is overcome by enabling companies toshare the practice, rather than the representation, of tacitknowledge. Second, interdependence in the hierarchy of routinesthat constitute organizational capabilities has led companiesto broaden the scope of supplier development over time. Third,this broadening challenges suppliers to accept customer companies'intervention in internal investment decisions, requiring a certainmode of corporate governance. It is argued that the boundaryof a capability-based firm may go beyond legally distinct unitsof financial control when firms are subjected to a cumulativeprocess of capability enhancement.