The Toyota Production System (TPS) is an integrated socio-technical system, developed by Toyota, that comprises its management philosophy and practices. The TPS organizes manufacturing and logistics for the automobile manufacturer, including interaction with suppliers and customers. The system is a major precursor of the more generic “lean manufacturing.” Taiichi Ohno, Shigeo Shingo and Eiji Toyoda developed the system between 1948 and 1975.

The main objectives of the TPS are to design out overburden (muri) and inconsistency (mura), and to eliminate waste (muda).. There are seven kinds of muda that are addressed in the TPS:

1. Waste of overproduction (largest waste)
2. Waste of time on hand (waiting)
3. Waste of transportation
4. Waste of processing itself
5. Waste of stock at hand
6. Waste of movement
7. Waste of making defective products

The elimination of waste has come to dominate the thinking of many when they look at the effects of the TPS because it is the most familiar of the three to implement. In the TPS many initiatives are triggered by inconsistency or overburden reduction which drives out waste without specific focus on its reduction.

The Principles outlined by Toyota:-

1. Continuous Improvement
2. Respect for People
3. Long-term philosophy
4. The right process will produce the right results
5. Add value to the organization by developing your people and partner
6. Continuously solving root problems drives organizational learning