Toyota

Toyota is ground zero for modern Lean. It is where all of the historical advances in manufacturing technology and operational leadership and supply chain management came together in what is recognizable as the current version of Lean.

Taiichi Ohno is widely credited with being the most instrumental person in creating this new production system within the company.

Toyota remains at the front of the pack in implementing Lean to this day, but it is no longer alone at that spot. It is even debatable that others have overtaken them in some categories. They don’t stand apart in quality like they once did, and they are also challenged in profitability.

Regardless, though, Toyota is revered in the Lean community for two main reasons. The first is that they were first, and best for a long time.

The second is that they were very generous in the sharing of Lean knowledge. They are aware of how hard Lean is to do well, so were seemingly unconcerned with being copied by competitors.