Toyota Conference

Bobby Floars Toyota Inc

Learning to lead at Toyota.

Many companies have tried to copy Toyota's famous production system--but without success. Why? Part of the reason, says the author, is that imitators fail to recognize the underlying principles of the Toyota Production System (TPS), focusing instead on specific tools and practices. This article tells the other part of the story. Building on a previous HBR article, "Decoding the DNA of the Toyot...

Toyota Prius HEV neurocontrol and diagnostics

A neural network controller for improved fuel efficiency of the Toyota Prius hybrid electric vehicle is proposed. A new method to detect and mitigate a battery fault is also presented. The approach is based on recurrent neural networks and includes the extended Kalman filter. The proposed approach is quite general and applicable to other control systems.

Toyota v. Williams: determining disability under the ADA.

In Toyota v. Williams, the Supreme Court narrowed the interpretation of when impaired manual skills can be considered to be a “substantial limitation” of a “major life activity” under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The Court concluded that it is insufficient to demonstrate impairment only at occupation-specific tasks. Claimants must demonstrate permanent or long-term impairment in a...

Application of the Toyota Production System improves core laboratory operations.

To meet the increased clinical demands of our hospital expansion, improve quality, and reduce costs, our tertiary care, pediatric core laboratory used the Toyota Production System lean processing to reorganize our 24-hour, 7 d/wk core laboratory. A 4-month, consultant-driven process removed waste, led to a physical reset of the space to match the work flow, and developed a work cell for our ran...