Jidoka - A Reinterpretation by Michael Balle
Sakichi Toyoda was looking at human difficulties in producing cotton when he sought to reduce both defects (challenges in human use) and hardships (difficulties in doing the work). He famously came up with his key jidoka mechanism of thin metal strips that would test the tension of the cotton thread and stop the machine if the thread broke. He was solving human problems with automatic devices. His goal was to perfect ever better looms. Later on, Kiichiro Toyoda took as his goal would as perfecting ever better automobiles.
Our society is built on engineering, creating lifestyle-changing mechanical appliances that can replace human labor in activities ranging from transportation (trains) to textile manufacturing (sewing machines, spinning equipment) and agriculture (the tractor). The point of such products is to make you autonomous – you no longer need to do the work yourself directly or ask someone else to do it for you. Think of those espresso machines now ubiquitous in offices around the world: whereas before you had to go to a coffee shop to get an expresso, with these machines and capsules you can have the coffee at the touch of button, without any help. The same goes for washing machines, dishwashers, etc.
https://www.planet-lean.com/articles/lean-without-jidoka-is-just-fordism
Jidoka provides more support of machines to humans. It also reduces the human effort involved in supervising the machine. The machine stops when there is a problem and calls for human assistance. Increasing the jidoka of a process means, increase in machine effort and reduction of human effort. Smart machines help in increasing jidoka of a process. Smart machine design has to focus on this aspect also.
Jidoka - Automation and Mechanization - Process Engineering and Industrial Engineering in Toyota Production System
https://nraoiekc.blogspot.com/2021/04/jidoka-automation-and-mechanization.html
Jidoka - Human Effort Engineering and Industrial Engineering in Toyota Production System
https://nraoiekc.blogspot.com/2021/04/jidoka-human-effort-engineering-and.html
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