Lesson 39 of Industrial Engineering ONLINE Course - History of Industrial Engineering in Japan.
Lesson 40 - Taiichi Ohno on Industrial Engineering. Toyota style Industrial Engineering - Waste Elimination
We can start the history of industrial engineering, scientific management and productivity improvement in Japan with the study of an article authored by Gilbreth by Yoichi Ueno for translating it into Japanese. No doubt, there were other incidents like some Japanese person listening to Taylor in USA. But Yoichi had done years of writing, teaching and practicing efficiency improvement and established number of organizations including the most famous, Japanese Management Association.
Yoichi Ueno graduated from Tokyo Imperial University in psychology subject in 1903 and joined the same institution. He was given an active part in translation, editing, and writing psychology materials.
However, Ueno did not like working in abstract theory and moved to the study of the application field like experimental psychology, advertisement psychology, aptitude tests and gradually got into efficiency study.
Psychology is study of human behavior, and efficiency is also related to human behavior. He was impressed by the time and motion studies work of American F.B. Gilbreth. Ueno was strongly impressed by the scientific management of Taylor also.
Ueno emerged as an enlightened diffuser of this efficiency and he became a management consultant and, author, teacher, and thinker.
Technique and way of thinking of Ueno developed into Japanese-style efficiency improvement movement. Ueno showed interest for applied study and industry efficiency. He saw an article on way to study human movement and a photograph in an American magazine during university attendance at school in around 1907. He got interested and sent a letter to Gilbreth, who is the founder of Motion Study directly. There was repeat correspondence afterward and the friendship deepened. Mrs. Gilbreth was also a psychologist and she sent many documents to Ueno. Ueno made full use of it and published "psychology of person and business efficiency" from the content in 1919. He introduced time and motion studies of work in that publication.
Furthermore, Ueno met Gilbreth, when Ueno went for European and American inspection on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce in 1921.
In the meeting of The Society of Industrial Engineers held in Chicago, Gilbreth let Ueno give a talk about "Japanese efficiency exercise" and did not spare praise. He invited Ueno as the first honorary member of SIE committee. Yoichi Ueno felt great joy on this honor. Friendship with Mrs. Gilbreth followed after Gilbreth's death in 1924.
There was Scientific Management special feature in extra edition of the magazine "business world." Ueno was asked by Jujiro Izeki, the chief editor to write on Taylor's administration. The "Secret to omit useless trouble" and the works of Yukinori Hoshino (1912 through 1913) and Toshiro Ikeda published earlier were updated by Ueno (checked the correctness of the translation).
From Translating Documents to Introducing Practical Improvement of Factory Efficiency
In a lecture, Ueno was asked by the manager of Lion Tooth Brushing main office to come and study factory efficiency for work improvement of bag filling factory of tooth brushing powder in year 1920. Ueno had experience with reading and writing only and had no practical experience in real efficiency improvement until then. It was written that he was not able to sleep the previous night. Next day, he has to use stop watches. Ueno observed using stopwatch 15 girl workers, changed the places for the assembly line, established breaks of 15 minutes at 10:00 and 3:00. He reduced the actual working hours of the day by one hour. He succeeded in increasing the amount of production by 20% per day. Reduced the use of space by 30% and showed savings in work-in-process inventory.
And he emphasized that profit brought about by such an efficiency study has to be distributed into shares for owners, managers, consumers, workers. Japanese commentators were right to say a pioneer figure of management consultancy arrived in Japan.
The example of this Lion Tooth brushing factory was illustrated in Osaka "factory administration class" hosted by the chamber of commerce in 1921. It impressed Osaka chamber of commerce vice-president Taichi Nakayama and the relationship was established. It resulted in consulting firms, such as Nakayama sun temple (club cosmetics), FUKUSKE tabi and the results of these studies spread to other firms and they also came forward to seek improvement in factory efficiency. The Osaka success transformed Ueno from a translator of scientific management knowledge to the stage of scientific management practitioner and consultant. He took charge as temporary efficiency section manager at the Osaka Mint Bureau and he continued this duty for several years spending an average of three days in month from 1925. Understanding and support of Taichi Nakayama in particular are said to have contributed to the practice and study of industrial efficiency of Ueno very much.
The establishment of cooperation society - industry efficiency research institute
Sakae Shibusawa and Iesato Tokugawa became promoters to deal with labor movement that developed soon after World War I in 1919. A foundation was established as research engine to plan cooperation and harmony of the labor and management as super hierarchic engine of semi-governmental management.
In fact, ILO (I.L.O.) was established in 1919 and Japan joined it promptly in the same year. It is also in the same year that cooperation society was established.
Ueno prepared for the industrial efficiency research institute establishment in cooperation society saying that efficiency improvement of factory included base of union-management cooperation. He was designated unofficially as the director. Cooperation society pushed forward this establishment preparations. In the meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce deputed Ueno for European and American factory inspection study. Ueno was appointed as Director, cooperation society industry efficiency research institute in 1922, at the age of 39 years. The institute worked on the principle that cooperation was a management issue and not a legal issue. (Please remember cooperation between manager and worker is a principle of scientific management of F.W. Taylor. Managers have to strive to establish cooperation between them and workers.)
However, with the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, this institute was closed. But a new establishment, Nihon Sangyo efficiency research institute was started in cooperation hall in 1925. Ueno continued his study, publication, lectures, classes, consultation, diagnosis about efficiency and training.
Ueno started Branch of Taylor Society in the Institute of Industrial Efficiency in 1925. Ueno is the managing director of the society (Bulletin of the Taylor Society, August 1925, p. 202)
Start of Japanese efficiency alliance society
In Osaka, Kanagawa, Hamamatsu, Aichi, Ehime, Hyogo, and Tokyo efficiency meetings and efficiency studies were taking place. A Japan efficiency alliance society was started as a nationwide coalition of these groups in 1927 and Ueno became its President. A monthly "industry efficiency" was published.
In 1929, he attended the scientific management international Committee meet (CIOS) as representative of alliance society globally. He organized United States industry inspection team by invitation of the Taylor Association Headquarters in 1930. He thought of the plan of "efficiency handbook" for scientific management for Japan. He planned for the publication of "the Taylor complete works" in the context of Japanese circumstances. The publication involved laborious work and it needed seven years before completion in 1941. It was an extremely valuable document in history of management efficiency of Japan. Takuo Godou and Okiie Yamashita sent prefaces to this "efficiency handbook" and praised it.
The Japanese Management Association was established on March 30, 1942 as the sole nationwide private organization for the promotion of technology, after the dissolution and integration of the Japan Management Federation established by Ueno (established in 1927) and the Japan Industry Association (established in 1931). These two were regarded as the leading organizations for the promotion of “noritsu (efficiency)” through scientific management approach in Japan at the time.
However, Ueno established Japanese efficiency school in the ground of Todoroki, Tokyo in April of the year and then started current industrial efficiency junior college, forerunner of Sanno Institute of Management. Japan Management Association was started with Takuo Godou as chairperson, and President Kakuzo Morikawa as President. Ueno participated in this as Counselor.
Incarnation of original efficiency concept
In 1935, Ueno launched monthly magazine called "ochibo" from Nihon Sangyo efficiency research institute, and explained his way of thinking about efficiency.
(1) What kind of thing is efficiency?
Efficiency means a state that is rational means every thing was done for a purpose. If resource are too big for the purpose, "it is useless (waste)" and "is impossible (to do a job)" if resources are too small for the purpose.
(2) Wrong efficiency concept
It does not force effort without reducing work content. It is not efficiency to do more by working more.
Efficiency should not increase effort. With the same effort more should be accomplished.
(3) Idea of efficiency has the same origin as Orient-like religious morality.
Without "unreasonableness,"
Efficiency means without waste. In other words, basic principle of efficiency accords with teaching of moderation of Buddha and Confucius.
(4) Scientific administration is method to discover the standard way (as standard equipment) and to enforce this standard method in the factory. (standard has the meaning of best possible and planned.)
(5) There are three in order to perform scientific administration
The first stage: Plan……Make standard
The second stage: Enforcement……Carry out (Validate) [Make sure it works in practice.]
The third stage: Control……Control enforcement in the light of standard (Do it repeatedly). Make sure it happens in the planned way every time it is done.
(6) Conquer "waste" and "irregularity" with efficiency study, and that pursuit discovers right way.
Approach and Efficiency Way Connected to Oriental Thought
Ueno connected way of thinking of Taylor in scientific administration to sayings of Buddhism and Confucianism.
It is said to be efficiency when "we omit waste, and remove unreasonableness", "we practice moderation", and "walk moderation". The famous Muda, Mura, Muri. Don't waste, Don't burden, Don't vary output requirements too much.
Postwar Ueno and Creativity Development
In 1946, the results Ueno, showed over more than 40 years were evaluated from both the United States and Japanese Government. He was 64 years old at that time.
He contributed to efficiency school resumption (1946) in Japan, the establishment (1950) of industrial efficiency junior college, organization (1949) of federation of all-Japan efficiency, the establishment (1951) of Japan management consultant society.
It is about 1955, he published general enlightenment book and technical book "development of originality" in sequence. The theme called creativity development was the last of Ueno's publication and in that he approached issues like "what is human being?", and, "science for solution to the problem."
He prophecied that a time will come, when we can export views on Japanese efficiency to the United States. Ueno breathed his last in as 74 year old man in October, 1957.
The success of Toyota in cost reduction, productivity improvement, and international competitiveness and its celebrated Toyota Production System, fulfilled the dream of Yoichi Ueno. The success of Toyota is built on the sustained efforts many Japanese persons who understood Taylor and Gilbreth's writings and improvised them in implementing them in Japanese companies.
A new article - Very useful.
"Efficiency Way" - Discusses Ueno's 5S and 10 Lessons .
Ueno published “Efficiency Way and Lessons” in 1936. Ueno combined “Scientific Management” and Eastern philosophies in this book. It consists of five ways and ten lessons,
Hide Oba
Toyota Production System Coach | Lean Manufacturing Expert | Kaizen Leader | Operational Excellence | Competitive Advantage in Operations | Global Change Agent | Practical Coach
July 13, 2023
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http://www.grips.ac.jp/forum-e/pdf_e12/JICA&GDFReport_Ethiopia_phase1/Kaizen_National_Movement/Kaizen_ch2.pdf
http://www.jma.or.jp.e.is.hp.transer.com/activity/series-01.html
Management, Education and Competitiveness: Europe, Japan and the United States
Rolv Petter Amdam
Routledge, 15-Apr-2013 - Business & Economics - 288 pages
https://books.google.co.in/books?id=PQYLQxgG_UQC
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