New translation of famed Toyota book now available

Now that Toyota has become the world's number one automaker, it's only fitting that a new English translation of the seminal Japanese book describing its famed production methods has been released.

In May 2007, Gemba Press issued a new translation of Taiichi Ohno's book, Workplace Management, or Gemba Keiei in Japanese. Ohno has been called "the father of the Toyota Production System." In the book, he relates stories from nearly 40 years of efforts to establish the mindsets and behaviors that support the Toyota Production System. Among the widely adopted principles Ohno pioneered are kaizen, or continuous improvement; just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing; and "lean" production, which seeks to eliminate all processbased and systemic waste.

The previous translation of the book by Andrew Dillon had been out of print for years and was hard to find, according to the current translator, Jon Miller. Miller is the president of Gemba Research in Seattle, Washington, and specializes in teaching the Toyota Production System. This 134-page book sells for $47.95. It can be ordered online at www.gembapress.com.