Field Study on International Transferability of the Toyota Production System Abroad

本研究旨在通过对日本丰田公司在国外的生产方式的实地调查，探讨其在国外的可转移性。丰田汽车承诺外国投资和生产20年。研究问题如下：确定生产系统转移的任何演变，并确定容易转移的要素和难以转移的要素。我决定这次以欧洲的工厂为重点进行实地调查。2007年，我参观了丰田汽车在英国、捷克共和国和土耳其的工厂，以及位于布鲁塞尔的地区总部。明年还参观了一家法国工厂和位于布鲁塞尔的区域总部。我还参观了日产汽车公司的西班牙工厂和三菱汽车公司（NedCar）的荷兰工厂。通过实地考察，对丰田生产方式的可转移性得出以下初步结论。丰田汽车在欧洲的工厂已经成功地实施了丰田生产系统。它通常介绍了所谓的系统的两个支柱（JIT和JIDOKA）。该系统的技术方面更容易转移。另一方面，生产工人的技能形成不易转移。时间和经验是必要的，它的转移。但是，绩效考核在工资体系中的实施在四个工厂中普遍存在。丰田在欧洲的工厂已经将绩效评估引入生产工人，尽管丰田未能在北美实施。我可以指出每个工厂在工作组织和教育培训方面的共同做法。我注意到，欧洲工厂的技能形成没有达到与日本工厂相同的水平，它处于初级或中期阶段。我现在不需要改变这个结论，但需要准确的调查。

This study project aims to investigate international transferability of the Toyota Production System abroad, based on the field research on located in foreign countries. Toyota Motor committed foreign investments and production for 20 years. The research questions are as follows: To identify any evolution of the transfer of the production system since then and to identify easy elements and difficult elements to transfer. I decided to make field research by focusing on the factories in Europe this time. I visited Toyota Motor's plants in Britain, Czech Republic, and Turkey, as well as the Regional Headquarters in Brussels in 2007. And, a French factory and the Regional Headquarters in Brussels were visited next year. I also visited a Spanish factory of Nissan Motor Co. and a Dutch factory of Mitsubishi Motors (NedCar)... A tentative conclusion concerning transferability of the Toyota Production System through the field study is as follows. Toyota Motor's European plants have implemented the Toyota Production System successfully. It has introduced so-called two pillars of the System (JIT and JIDOKA) commonly. The technical aspects of the system are easier to transfer. On the other side, production worker's skill formation is not easy to transfer. Time and the experience are necessary for its transfer. However, the execution of the performance evaluation in wage system was implemented commonly at four factories. Toyota's factories in Europe have introduced the performance evaluation to the production worker, although Toyota was not able to implement it in North America. I can point out common practices at each factory about the work organization and the education and training. I noticed that the skill formation at the European plants did not reach at the same level as the factory in Japan and it is at an initial or middle stage. I do not need to change this conclusion at present, though the accurate survey is required.