The Big Idea
Toyota first caught the worlds attention in the 1980s when consumers started noticing that Toyota cars lasted longer and required fewer repairs than American cars. Today, the company is the worlds most profitable car manufacturer, consistently producing high-quality cars using fewer man hours and less on-hand inventories. To this day, Toyota continues to raise the bar for manufacturing, production development and process excellence.

The Toyota Way explains the management principle and business philosophy behind Toyotas success. It narrates Toyotas approach to Lean Production (known as the Toyota Production System) and the 14 principles that drive Toyota towards quality and excellence. The book also explains how you can adopt the same principles to improve your business processes, while cutting down on operations and production costs.

About the Author
Jeffrey Liker - Dr. Jeffrey K. Liker is Professor of Industrial and Operations Engineering at the . He is the Director of the J (JTMP) and co- Director of the lean manufacturing program at the University of Michigan that offers a 10-day lean manufacturing certificate and a five-day lean product development certificate. Dr. Liker has authored or co-authored over 65 articles and book chapters and five books. He is also the Editor of (Productivity Press, 1997), winner of the 1998 Shingo prize (for excellence in manufacturing research). He is active as a keynote speaker, speaker for executive retreats, and lean consultant, independently and through a company he cofounded -- Optiprise, Inc. Recent clients include G.M., Ford, Intier, PPG Industries, Johnson Controls, Tenneco Automotive, Framatome Technologies, Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, Jacksonville Naval Air Depot, and Portsmouth Naval Ship Yard.