The Machine That Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production

An eye-opener. A classic. The first comprehensive analysis of the power of Lean Manufacturing. All of these phrases adeptly describe James Womack and Daniel Jones’ first book.

The International Motor Vehicle Program (IMVP) was formed in 1984 by a group of attendees at an international conference that examined the problems facing the world motor-vehicle industry. They concluded that automotive companies in North America and Europe were relying on a mass-production system using techniques that had changed little over the years and were simply not competitive with a new set of ideas in use by Japanese companies. Most Western companies were focusing their energies on erecting trade barriers and were missing out on the opportunities these new techniques had to offer. To prevent this from continuing, the IMVP undertook a detailed five-year, $5 million study at the Massachussets Institute of Technology to study the new Japanese techniques later named “Lean Manufacturing.” These techniques were compared with the older Western mass-production techniques and European craft manufacturing. The massive study encompassed all the world’s motor-vehicle manufacturers.

A study group was formed including individuals with the expertise required to gather the detailed information needed to arrive at sound conclusions. The result was the most comprehensive study of one industry at any time. Team leaders concluded that the results of this five-year study deserved more than an academic report. This book was written as a team effort that enabled the many specialists involved to contribute their personal knowledge and valuable insights to show how Japan’s “secret weapon” in the global auto wars will revolutionize western industry. The result is a powerful book applicable to all industries, not just the automotive business.

The first three chapters take you through a brief introduction to the automotive industry, the origins of lean production and the detailed elements of the lean production system. They also provide the setting for the data contained in the chapters that follow.

The authors predicted in 1990 that lean production would “become the standard global production system of the twenty-first century.” And that it is.

If you read this book a while ago, reread it as a refresher course. The tools of lean have become more defined since this book was first published, but the concepts it presents have not changed. The last two chapters of this book shift from analysis – where lean came from and what it is – to prescription – how to make the transition with a minimum amount of pain and tension. Many of today’s leaders involved with Lean Manufacturing were cautioned from the start that lean is a fundamentally different way of doing business. They may wish they had read these chapters again and again on how to successfully make this transition.

The Machine That Changed the World by James P. Womack, Daniel T. Jones, and Daniel Roos was published in 1990 by Rawson Associates and the First Harper Perennial paperback edition published in 1991 can be purchased at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, etc. Those of you with a lean library may be interested in a newly released Jim Womack autographed hard copy for $40 from the www.lean.org bookstore. This book contains a special supplement that updates the original book.