Jidoka was first used in 1896 by Sakichi Toyoda, who invented a textile loom that would stop automatically when it encountered a defective thread. Jidoka is a Japanese term used in lean manufacturing. The term describes a scenario where machines cease operating without human intervention when a problem or defect is discovered.
Understanding Jidoka
Jidoka then became one of the three pillars of the Toyota Production System (TPS) after Toyoda’s son Kiichiro transformed the textile company into an automobile manufacturer.
The Toyota Production System (TPS) is an early form of lean manufacturing created by auto-manufacturer Toyota. Created by the Toyota Motor Corporation in the 1940s and 50s, the Toyota Production System seeks to manufacture vehicles ordered by customers most quickly and efficiently possible.
The concept facilitates autonomation, defined as automation with a human touch.
Having a human watch over a machine constantly is both physically demanding and prone to error.
For example, a worker required to inspect every part of a machine for one defect will quickly experience tired eyes or repetitive strain injuries.
Defect rates in most processes are well below 1%, which means a worker employed to look for them would become bored very easily.
Since Jidoka automates error detection, the business can reassign employees to more productive roles.
Like most aspects of lean manufacturing, Jidoka exists to minimize waste and improve efficiency.
Before modern businesses adopted the concept, manufacturing defects were not detected until long after they had occurred.
In some cases, the product had already been sold to a consumer before a problem was identified.
The four principles of Jidoka
Four simple principles of Jidoka exist, with each playing a role in preventing defects from reaching the customer.
Each principle takes the form of a step:
Discover an abnormality (automated)
In an ideal world, abnormalities are prevented by building quality into a process from the start and not by inspecting for quality at the end.
Tools such as Kanban and 5S can also help discover problems before they occur.
Kanban is a lean manufacturing framework first developed by Toyota in the late 1940s. The Kanban framework is a means of visualizing work as it moves through identifying potential bottlenecks. It does that through a process called just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing to optimize engineering processes, speed up manufacturing products, and improve the go-to-market strategy. The 5S System is a lean manufacturing tool that improves efficiency and eliminates waste. First used in the Toyota Production System (TPS). The 5S System seeks to mitigate the factors contributing to process inefficiencies with six areas of concern: sort, set in order, shine, standardize, sustain, and safety.
Stop (automated)
Stopping the line is as important as developing a culture where doing so is accepted and not feared.
Many Western businesses fear a loss of productivity when the line is constantly stopped for problems.
However, Jidoka favors addressing minor issues before they have a chance to become major issues.
Fix the immediate problem (human)
At companies such as Toyota, line interruptions are a way of life.
When operators detect a problem, supervisors are immediately notified to help solve the problem.
If the solution is easy, the problem is rectified and the line restarted.
If not, the appropriate expertise is called in for support.
Investigate and correct the root cause by installing a countermeasure (human)
Despite being notified of problems by superior technology, some businesses still find it difficult to correct the problem and identify the root cause.
To ensure problems are solved once and for all, personnel should be trained in root cause identification techniques.
Then, any change to relevant operating procedures must be documented and communicated to the staff.
Jidoka and Andon
Within Jidoka there are various quality control methods, among which Andon.
Andon is a quality control method described as “intelligent automation” or “automation with a human touch”.
The andon system alerts managerial, maintenance, or other staff of a production process problem. The alert itself can be activated manually with a button or pull cord, but it can also be activated automatically by production equipment. Most Andon boards utilize three colored lights similar to a traffic signal: green (no errors), yellow or amber (problem identified, or quality check needed), and red (production stopped due to unidentified issue).
It simply consists of a “traffic light” mechanism for lean production, where quality issues are identified and solved.
If they can’t be identified and solved, production stops until the defect is found.
This is an example of the various quality methods within Jidoka, which were part of the broader Toyota Production System.
Key takeaways
Jidoka is a Japanese term used in lean manufacturing which promotes autonomation, or automation with a human touch. It was developed by Sakichi Toyoda, whose son would eventually found the Toyota Motor Company.
Jidoka exists to minimize waste and improve efficiency. This is achieved by detecting errors before they occur through automation, which frees up employees to be assigned to more productive roles.
Jidoka is based on four simple principles, with each representing a step in the error detection process. Discovering the abnormality and stopping the line should be automated, while fixing the immediate problem, and correcting the root cause by installing a countermeasure is performed by workers.
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Gennaro is the creator of FourWeekMBA, which reached about four million business people, comprising C-level executives, investors, analysts, product managers, and aspiring digital entrepreneurs in 2022 alone | He is also Director of Sales for a high-tech scaleup in the AI Industry | In 2012, Gennaro earned an International MBA with emphasis on Corporate Finance and Business Strategy.
