Reviews (3)

Best Lean book at there on Product Development
Lean originated on the production floor over sixty years ago in Japan. But Toyota product development has been sadly overlooked by corporate America. Where is the connection between Toyota stellar production practices and Toyota product development? You can't argue with the tried and true principles to systematically eliminating waste--that is the bedrock of the lean philosophy. Lean thinking is making inroads to a number of different environments and industries beyond discrete assembly like car making. Does waste occur in non-manufacturing? Oh yes, and it has largely been an untapped, dormant opportunity for applying lean. Improvement initiatives are being re-focused on office settings and now product development. There aren't many product development(PD)lean books out there but, Liker's book is excellent--it is so thorough, well researched, logical and well written! A lean novice may have difficulty because it is not "lean 101" and PD is not quite the same as lean manufacturing. But, if I forced to pick a single book on lean product development--this would be my #1 pick. It is such a good start point for lean PD. The lean benefits are self evident: cut development time in half and never miss milestones?That's has been the Toyota norm. Liker's book will walk you thru the 14 principles on how to get there the subsystem levels (Processes-People-Tools/Technology). If your PD efforts are adrift, it's reassessment time. Start here. You won't be sorry.

A must read
A very detailed and at times difficult read. However, it is a must for anyone involved in product development.

The Toyota Product Development System
I found Morgan and Liker's new book The Toyota Product Development System to be an excellent discussion of the key fundamentals that are missing in Detroit today based on my experience in the automotive industry. The most important reason Toyota is best is because of the way they develop and value people. This book describes the basics required to build a great Engineering organization. Engineering is the foundation that drives cost, quality and timing. This book should be required reading for everyone in the automobile industry from top management down.Morgan and Liker provide a great map for going forward for any company that designs and manufactures a product regardless of industry. The key is to start the Journey. This book is a great place to start. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Automobiles    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business/Economics    5. Concurrent engineering    6. Design and construction    7. Industrial Management    8. Industries - Automobile Industry    9. Office Automation    10. Production & Operations Management    11. Project management   

Reviews (12)

Guide, menu, toolbook, cookbook, non Toyota case studies...whatever you name it. It helps!
For those who had been deeply impressed by "The Toyota Way" and want to implement it to your business, this book is an excellent pracctical guide. There are plenty of charts, flow diagrams, tables, checklists, non Toyota examples, action plans, report forms etc etc which I find very helpful. I particularly like the "Reflect and Learn from the Process" Section (summary/key points/action items) in the end of each chapter. A book well worths its price! Highly recommended! However, please read "The Toyota Way" before this.
So you think your company is lean? Think again......
...read this book and I will guarantee you will look at your
Review
Absolutely an excellent book that takes the "theory" of Lean, and converts it to reality in a very clear, understandable manner. If you are going to implement Lean...read this book! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Automobile Industries (Economic Aspects)    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business/Economics    5. Corporate & Business History - General    6. General    7. History Of Specific Companies    8. Industries - General    9. Management - General    10. Business & Economics / General    11. Management & management techniques    12. Industrial Management    13. Manufacturing processes   

Reviews (11)

Toyota Magic
"Toyota Production System: Beyond Large-Scale Production" is a very enlightening work by the inventor of lean manufacturing, Taiichi Ohno. This small book is packed with insights and ideas on how to efficiently and effectively run a production system. The Toyota Production is also known as lean manufacturing, entails, among other things, minimising waste through continuous improvement and producing only what is sold, as requested by the customer. This unique and innovative system explains why Toyota makes profits even in tough times when other competitor firms are losing money.
Toyota Production Systerm: Beyond Large-Scale Production
Great! Enlightening AND an interesting read. So good I bought an extra copy to give as a gift.

Worth every penny
The Toyota Production System provides fantastic insight into the genius of Toyota and how implementing Lean Principles or Continuos Improvement can help eliminate waste. Whether your new to Lean or need a jump start, this is a great book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Automotive - Customizing    2. Business & Economics    3. Business/Economics    4. Engineering - Automotive    5. General    6. Manufacturing (Specific Aspects)    7. Production & Operations Management    8. Production Engineering    9. Production control    10. Technology & Industrial Arts    11. Toyota Jidosha Kogyo Kabush    12. Toyota Jidåosha Kåogyåo Kabushiki Kaisha    13. Road vehicle manufacturing industry   

Reviews (19)

Lean Production for everyone
Japan manufacturing revolutionized the automobile industry.Japan transformed the automobile industry by applying ideal perfection conditions of zero defect products, reduced inventories, and the generation of endless product inventories.How did Japan accomplish this breakaway?Lean production is the answer.Lean production allowed the Japanese to reduce human labor by ½, manufacturing production space by ½, capital investment by ½, required engineering hours by ½, and reduced production time by ½. US automobile companies were on the defensive and rather than compete head to head in quality and competitiveness with their Japanese counterparts they sought refuge in the political system.
Misleading and dated
This is a fairly poorly researched book, despite the authors' credentials; their history of American automobiles is grossly inaccurate and only serves to reinforce incorrect stereotypes. They spend very little time actually describing lean production, preferring to talk about how every other company will go bankrupt because they don't have it. The misreading of the Volvo story is also rather galling, though to be fair, Volvo's team-based approach was already being dismantled (for non-
Takes a licking - keeps on ticking
For those of you long in the tooth you may recall John Cameron Swayze's love-in with Timex watches where in a 60 second commercial he would submit the watch to behemoth like torture, rodeo riding, outboard motors, and then hold the watch up and say, 'it takes a licking and keeps on ticking.'
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Subjects:  1. Automobile industry    2. Automobile industry and trade    3. Automotive - Industry    4. Business & Economics    5. Business / Economics / Finance    6. Business/Economics    7. Corporate & Business History - General    8. Entrepreneurship    9. Industries - Automobile Industry    10. Japan    11. Road vehicle manufacturing industry    12. Technology / General    13. USA    14. Corporate History    15. Engineering - Civil    16. Transportation   

Reviews (4)

THEEnergy Book Of Our Times
A while back an old sage once answered an economical question I had with this, "An economy based on WASTE". But he said it with a disgust I never quite understood. UNTIL NOW.And it is in book form, written by a very skilled writer, Edwin Black (eight Pulitzers and two National Book Award Nominations). Researched to an nth'degree, 19 pages of acknowledgements!. Many, many fascinating tidbits such as the word car that started out as horseless carraige to carraige to car for short. Or the red flag laws where a man had to run ahead of the car waving a red flag & blowing a horn to warn all in the cars path. It loaded with interesting stories and facts you've never heard of. The story about GM destroying the mass electric transit/cars in the U.S.- is alone worth the price. Very well written and informative, as in: "A century of lies about internal combustion arising from a millennium of monopolistic misconduct in energy has wounded the world's collective health, fractured a fragile enviroment, and ignighted a deadly petropolitical war that has become nothing less than a cataclysmic clash of civilizations." Or,"Internal combustion kills.Few of us realize that as we drive to non-smoking restaurants, everyone around us is inhaling gases as deadly as that in any cigarette". Or, "The implication was that in the thirties and forties, at a time when GM was undermining American transport and urban mass transit, the bus and auto giant was doing all in its power to enhance Reich transport".Or, "The single most fuel-inefficient undertaking on earth is arguably the heavily armed military convoy escorting oil tanker trucks in Iraq.More petroleum is undoubtedly consumed to protect the delivery than is carried in the tanker itself".Or that 'it takes 1.29 gallons of petroleum or petroleum equivalents to produce one gallon of ethanol'.(The Brazilians use sugar cane in a different process that is self sustaining and is explained in detail.) The author follows mankind from thousands of years ago to now as he continually misuses energy.He goes into the alternative energy sources: ocean thermal, geothermal, wind and solar, nanosolar.He devotes a whole chapter to hydrogen.His depiction of Honda's FCX hydrogen car is very very cool. In conclusion, the author stresses, there needs to be a public policy that excercises "sane" stewardship over energy and those who control it. A very informative and instructive read of the energy crisis that we as mankind face today. Highly recommended!!!!

Edwin Blacks Book could change the world-for the better
This book is an amazing expose of how power corruption and money took our country from using energy renewable resources to being an oil guzzing, air polluting and terror funding entity. This book shows how we got off the track of uning battery and electric energy sources, in order to support the economics of the middle east and the oil barons who profited from our use of fossil fuel.
Black is back with another gem!
This new Black gem is typical Edwin -a boldly written page-turner brightly illuminating past misdeeds and miscreants as an important lesson for the future. As with his past books, IC features Black's trademark meticulous, well-referenced original research that draws upon previously unseen records and collections, such as the judge's hand-written notes from the GM conspiracy trial.
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Subjects:  1. Automobiles    2. Conspiracy & Scandal Investigations    3. History    4. History: World    5. Industries - Energy Industries    6. Internal combustion engines    7. Modern - General    8. Petroleum    9. Petroleum as fuel    10. Politics / Current Events    11. History / Modern / General    12. Petroleum & oil industries   

Reviews (1)

Business tools like six sigma and TOC are the "ante" required to "get in the game". Many possess profound knowledge of the tools, but that is insufficient.Matt May helps leaders understand that real, enduring success derives from a lean culture fanatically committed over the long run to continual small improvements, to the care of its customers, and to the welfare of the society of which it is a part. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Automobile Industries (Economic Aspects)    2. Automobile industry and trade    3. Business & Economics    4. Business / Economics / Finance    5. Business/Economics    6. Corporate & Business History - Strategies    7. Creative thinking    8. Employee Participation In Management    9. Employee participation    10. Industries - Automobile Industry    11. Japan    12. Leadership    13. Management    14. Marketing - General    15. Technological innovations    16. Business & Economics / Marketing / General   

Reviews (3)

Success through suppliers
The pursuit of knowledge that gives us an understanding of factors that determine success in the market place has always considered "the firm" as the unit of analysis. This has been the case with microeconomics, game theory, competitive strategy and many such specialized areas of research. Cartels that manipulate supply and prices are perhaps an exception to this rule. If, instead of considering the firm as the unit, we consider a group of firms teaming together to collectively provide value to the customer and succeed as a unique identity as a unit of analysis, the methodology to understand competition would undergo a paradigm shift. This book is precisely about this concept as applicable to the automobile industry. A Masterpiece
Having followed Dyer's other research, I think that this is a theoretically elegant piece of work. He builds further on his pieces in SMJ (with Singh from Wharton) and AMR and illustrates the concepts of relationship-based assets in firm networks. The running exemplar has he uses (Toyota) illustrates his theoretical arguments quite elonquently. The book also highlights the limitations of his concept of collaborative advantage, and his closing chapter illustrates how cultural differences (here with Benz) can keep this strategy from becoming reality. This book is not for folks looking for cut-out recipies. This book is a MUST for researchers and managers who like to think instead of searching for cookbooks! The concluding chapter is a gem because it highlights our gaps in knowledge. This is an excellent book, and having read Dyer's other works, it's high quality comes as very little surprise. Buy, own, read, reread, and profusely highlight your own copy! VERY highly recommended.

Highly Recomended!
Jeffrey Dyer, an accomplished scholar and management teacher, has developed a cogent and sophisticated theory of extended enterprise management based on a wealth of empirical data from the history of Toyota in Japan and from his six-year study of Chrysler Corp. before its merger with Daimler-Benz. Beyond being a detailed and rigorous case study of the automobile manufacturing industry, Dyer's book presents an extremely valuable model for vertical integration. His model can be applied to other complex product industries, though he is honest about the limits of its applicability. This book provides a clear, effective blueprint for achieving value-chain collaboration. We [...] recommend it to consultants, executives in complex product industries and leaders in firms that supply components or materials. If you always suspected you were part of a greater whole, now you can be sure.
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Subjects:  1. Automobile Industries (Economic Aspects)    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business networks    5. Business/Economics    6. Case studies    7. Chrysler Corporation    8. Comparative management    9. Corporate & Business History - Strategies    10. Industrial procurement    11. Industries - General    12. Management    13. Management - General    14. Organization Of Industrial Production    15. Purchasing & Buying    16. Toyota Jidosha Kogyo Kabush    17. Business & Economics / Corporate History    18. Business | Management    19. Management & management techniques    20. Ownership & organization of enterprises   

Reviews (3)

Book review...a lesson in futility
The author of this book apparantly does not know the value of proof reading. So many mistakes and items that either are misdirected, or do not exist in the text altogether. Never a more frustrating experience than reading and trying to decipher this poorly written book.

Errors and incomplete examples, expect some frustration
I received this book on Friday and have spent some time with it over the weekend. In that short time I've found errors in formulas and examples that fell short. For example, there was a section that talked about how voltage drop is affected by the length of a conductor and even gave a formula to calculate it, but in the example following the definition, it used another formula that didn't factor in conductor length, without explaining why the length-dependent formula was not used. Another example: A calculation question on one of the review questions had an answer that didn't match the formula used to obtain it. After hunting around, I found the correct formula, which did result in the answer listed. Ultimately, I think this book will prove useful, but I would say to anyone considering using this book that they shouldn't be surprised if they find calculations that don't make sense and wind up consulting other books to make sure they completely understand how things are calculated.

Master Electrician's Review
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:Read more

Subjects:  1. Construction - Electrical    2. Electric engineering    3. Electrical Engineering (General)    4. Electricians    5. Electricity    6. Engineering - Electrical & Electronic    7. Examinations, questions, etc    8. Licenses    9. Professional - General    10. Reference    11. Science/Mathematics    12. Study Guides    13. Technology    14. United States    15. Automotive technology    16. Technology / Technical & Manufacturing Industries & Trades   

Subjects:  1. Automobiles    2. Automotive    3. Automotive - Repair & Maintenance    4. Brakes    5. General    6. Maintenance and repair    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Mathematics and Science    9. Technology / Technical & Manufacturing Industries & Trades   

Features

• Audiobook

Reviews (60)

Behind-the-scenes of Big Business
A good behind the scenes type of book. Interesting to learn why Toyota is one of the big three automakers.

Good Summary of Toyota Culture
This book brings it all together under 14 principles. It is a good book for those who would like to learn about Toyota's success.

THE TOYOTA WAY CD REVIEW
On disk # 2 some of the tracks "skip" when played and are inaubible.Have not yet played all of the disks, but was disappointed to find this lack of quality - especially when the book topic stresses the importance of quality. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Abridged Audio - Business/Professional    2. Audiobooks    3. Automobile Industries (Economic Aspects)    4. Business & Economics    5. Business/Economics    6. Case studies    7. Corporate & Business History - Strategies    8. Corporate culture    9. Industries - Automobile Industry    10. Industries - General    11. Interactive & Multimedia    12. Production management    13. Quality (Management)    14. Total Quality Management    15. Management & management techniques   

Subjects:  1. Automotive Fuel Systems    2. Construction - General    3. Engineering - Automotive    4. Legal Reference / Law Profession    5. Military    6. Science/Mathematics    7. Technical & Manufacturing Trades    8. Technology    9. Automotive technology    10. Technology / Technical & Manufacturing Industries & Trades   

Subjects:  1. Automotive    2. Automotive - Repair & Maintenance    3. Foreign Auto And Light Truck Repair    4. Transportation    5. Technology / Technical & Manufacturing Industries & Trades   

Subjects:  1. Automobile industry and trade    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business/Economics    5. Case studies    6. Japan    7. Management    8. Management - General    9. Management Science    10. Office Automation    11. Production & Operations Management    12. Toyota Jidåosha Kabushiki Kaisha    13. Workplace Culture   

Reviews (1)

Residential Wiring
This is a great textbook for the beginning and intermediate level electricians.The text stays detailed yet organized as you follow steps in the process of wiring a typical house.It is based on the 2002 NEC so everything is updated and to code.The study questions, and chapter end summaries are key features that will aid in the learning process. I believe this book is a great bridge from classroom study to on-the-job training.I will use this book and would highly recommend it to others. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Construction - Electrical    2. Dwellings    3. Electric Wiring & Currents    4. Electric equipment    5. Electric wiring, Interior    6. Electrical Safety Codes    7. Electricity    8. Engineering - Electrical & Electronic    9. Reference    10. Science/Mathematics    11. Technology    12. Technology & Industrial Arts    13. Automotive technology    14. Technology / Technical & Manufacturing Industries & Trades   

Reviews (2)

Incomplete
Book itself is very informative, however there is a problem with representation of it being passed off as "new". First copy came without a dust jacket, hard cover had corner bumps and scuffs. Replacement copy came the exact same way, in the same condition and without the DJ. Cost of book is $50.00 NEW, had we wanted the book in used condition without the original DJ, we would have ordered it as such. The minimal refund Amazon offered was not to our satisfaction and the reps and/or management are too busy to make personal contact with their business customers. There appears to be an internal problem with receiving/quality inspection of their supplier's goods.

Well written, interesting book
Yes, I have also read Diesel's Engine by Lyle Cummins, the youngest son of Clessie Cummins, the co-founder of Cummins Engine.If, in reading DE, I am a proven crazy person, then I am, so discount what I say next.If one is fascinated by diesel engines, then this is a "must read."I have not completed the book yet, but having read 300 or so pages and I must say there is much beyond the engines.If you are a Harvard Business Review type, this will have much for you about entrepreneurism, the family business, enterprise capitalization, growth, corporate strategy, the inventor and his role in a technology driven business, timliness, single business small town employers, transportation trends, product quality, employee relations and more. I like reading about successes, but feel like this book portrays an almost charmed life of something impossible to duplicate.If every corporation were as successful as Cummins is portrayed, then we would reach corporate nirvana.Can what has been written here be true?Buy the book, write your own review, and we'll see what you think. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Automobile Industries (Economic Aspects)    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business/Economics    5. Corporate & Business History - General    6. Cummins Engine Company    7. Diesel motor industry    8. Entrepreneurship    9. History    10. History Of Specific Companies    11. Industries - General    12. Infrastructure    13. Internal combustion engine ind    14. Internal combustion engine industry    15. United States    16. Construction & heavy industry    17. Inter-war period, 1918-1939    18. Management & management techniques    19. Postwar period, 1945 to c 2000    20. Road vehicle manufacturing industry    21. Second World War, 1939-1945    22. Social history    23. USA   

Reviews (4)

Get a clear picture
Prior to reading this book, I had visions of grandeur. I envisioned cars rolling in, dirt being washed away, and my bank account growing exponentially. After reading this book, I know these things can still happen but they require much more work than I expected. This book is very helpful in informing you about what is required of you to open a car wash. Then you can make a better evaluation before you jump into something and regret it.

Car wash book rocks!
This book is just awesome. A must read for car and business lovers.

Bland
I don't know what is up with the Entrepreneur-magazine series of books, but I've read several of them now and I've yet to be impressed with any of them. The best way to describe this book...BLAND AND FULL OF FLUFF. Most of them are apparently written by people who have NO real-world business experience. They are not recommended. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Automotive    2. Automotive - Repair & Maintenance    3. Business & Economics    4. Business/Economics    5. Car wash industry    6. Entrepreneurship    7. Industries - General    8. Industries And Trades (Economic Aspects)    9. Management    10. New business enterprises    11. Business & Economics / Entrepreneurship    12. Management & management techniques    13. Road transport industries   

Reviews (9)

Very Informative
This book is exactly what I was looking.It provides an detailed overview of Lean Manufacturing, from its history to examples of implementation in US manufacturing facilities today.
PRACTICAL
BECOMING LEAN A Data Bound Argument for Lean
This is the real stuff - not academic theory but real examples of "lean" written by the people that made it happen.The concluding chapter on "what we have learned about becoming lean" pulls itall together in a neat package.This is a must read for anyone who enjoyedWomack's book on "Lean Thinking".We have applied theselearnings at this company with great results. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Automobile industry and trade    2. Automotive - History    3. Business & Economics    4. Business / Economics / Finance    5. Business/Economics    6. Case studies    7. Corporate & Business History - Strategies    8. Development - Business Development    9. Management    10. Management - General    11. Manufacturing industries    12. Organization Development    13. United States    14. Management & management techniques   

Reviews (1)

auto service manuel, 1995-2000 by chilton automotive
Excellent comprehensive and detailed book for a novice or professional. Great diagrams of all systems. You must have some knowledge of how an automobile functions, but if you do this is the book ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Automotive    2. General    3. Automotive (motor mechanic) skills    4. Motor cars: general interest    5. Technology / Technical & Manufacturing Industries & Trades    6. Vehicle maintenance    7. Domestic Auto And Light Truck Repair    8. Transportation   

Reviews (2)

From a non-mechanical reader
To my surprise with little mechanical knowledge or experience, I was able to understand surprisingly more than I expected. However, there were still procedures I could only understand up to a point where I had to skip on to another section unless I happened to be with a mechanical minded person who could explain in simpler terms. The biggest part of a "4 instead of 5 rating" may even be my incompetence rather than the publisher's writing ability. No doubt it is the best you can get without spending $400-$500 for the auto manufacturer's manuals. Filled with tips and tricks of auto repair which alone are worth the cost of the book.

A little too general
This would be a great book for someone new to working on cars.I felt they tried to include too many models to be specific.The pictures and diagrams are usually not of my truck.The general information and the plan of action/troubleshooting sections are good. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Automotive    2. Automotive - Repair & Maintenance    3. Automotive - Trucks    4. Domestic Auto And Light Truck Repair    5. GMC trucks    6. Handbooks & Manuals    7. Handbooks, manuals, etc    8. Isuzu Hombre truck    9. Maintenance and repair    10. Pickup trucks    11. Reference    12. Technology / Technical & Manufacturing Industries & Trades    13. Transportation / Automotive / General    14. Vehicle workshop manuals   

Reviews (10)

Excellent Historical Account of Management at General Motors.
This book "My Years with General Motors" was originally published in 1963 and is just as relevant reading today as any books written by top managers since then.The book is not easy to read, it is well over 400 pages of thoughtful text, but it is well worth reading for people with an interest in the history of General Motors, the history of the automobile, history of industrial technology in the 20th century, etc...
Insightful, in the trenches information
In this book, Alfred P. Sloan tells the story of his years as president and CEO of General Motors.His story is relevant for anyone who needs advice on how to save a company that is on the verge of bankruptcy and get it growing.Sloan has divulged his insights on organizational structure, management processes, financial control, product strategy and research.Here is some of the advice he offers:
This is an analytical and well written Book
This book first of all is a very well written book, it breaks down in a very structural way, what the author tries to convey.
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Subjects:  1. Automobile industry and trade    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Case studies    5. Corporate & Business History - General    6. General Motors Corporation    7. History    8. History Of Specific Companies    9. Industrial management    10. Infrastructure    11. Management    12. United States    13. Business & Economics / Infrastructure    14. Sloan, Alfred P