The Toyota Production System places a lot of value on the avoidance of mistakes in an attempt to reduce the need for costly rework and repairs, as well as the expensive inspections that precede and follow the repair and rework. This process of “mistake proofing” is called “Poka Yoke” (ポカヨケ). In the video below, we show an example of this poka yoke principle that Toyota used in the past in their manufacturing process. It should be noted that today’s technology obviously allows for much more...

In practice, we see a great deal of misconceptions about the 7 Tools of Quality, also known as the 7 Basic Tools. These are: scatter plots, Pareto charts, tallies, control charts, Ishikawa diagrams, histograms and flowcharts. Let’s review some of the most common mistakes. Mistake 1: The tools must be all used for each issue. Nothing is further from the truth. Sometimes, you need all seven to spot an issue, solve it and sustain the gains. Sometimes, three tools will suffice. These tools are...

It was a rainy evening in Maastricht, a not particularly big city in the South of Holland. It had been raining non stop for 3 weeks and if you wouldn't know better, you would wonder why the heavens do not run out of water! Maastricht is a city that seems to have been stuck with one leg in the early 20th century and it is exactly that which gives it its charm. For me, a trip to Maastricht is not just a trip in space. It is also a trip in time! Anyways, enough with the city marketing,...