Press Releases

JANUARY 2006

For Immediate Release

THROUGH "DNA" & "GENES", TOYOTA FUELS ITS EVER-EFFICIENT, QUALITY-DRIVEN MACHINE

New York… Toyota recently announced its plans to produce a record 9.06 million cars during 2006, a 10% increase over 2005. The automaker passed Ford to become the world's second-largest automaker in 2003. General Motors, on the other hand, plans to close nine North American factories and shutter four assembly plants. This "restructuring" will save the company $7 billion by the end of this year -- but will also eliminate 30,000 jobs and cut N.A. assembly capacity about 19% to 4.2 million vehicles.

With news like this, GM's 70-year reign as the world's largest auto producer seems shaky at best. It also underscores that while many manufacturers have imitated the Toyota Production System or Lean Manufacturing, few approach the efficiency and quality of Toyota because they have attempted to utilize "lean tools" without a deeper understanding of Toyota's broader management approach. In Inside the Mind of Toyota -- Management Principles for Enduring Growth (a new English translation published by Productivity Press) author Satoshi Hino emphasizes that the strength of Toyota lies not only in TPS but in the mechanism, the "DNA" by which Toyota transmits its "genes" through its fundamental thinking and management structures.

From the unique perspective of a professional with 30 years experience in the auto industry, Hino presents a fresh and detailed analysis of Toyota's essential management system, from its very beginnings into the 21st century. The book:

• Presents a comprehensive and systematic analysis of the Toyota management philosophy
• Clarifies the mechanisms used to transmit its winning system from generation to generation
• Gives a historical perspective on the structural anatomy of Toyota's management foundation
• Provides analysis emphasizing research, product planning, design and development functions

The ultimate goal is not simply to mimic Toyota's formula for sustained growth, but rather to learn its secrets of lasting success, and, in doing so, surpass it. Though the book's target is the manufacturing sector, it will also prove invaluable to government, healthcare and service industries. A secondary audience includes academia and general business readers.

List price is $50.00. Complimentary review copies are available to media contacts by calling (212) 216-7865 or by e-mailing: leon.carter@taylorandfrancis.com.

Advance Praise For:

"This is not a cookbook and it is not 'Toyota Lite.' It deserves serious study, application and experimentation."

—From the Translator's Foreword by Andrew Dillon

"Inside the Mind of Toyota is unique in that it analyzes Toyota's management system as a whole. The data Hino has collected is amazingly rich. For anyone interested in understanding Toyota's functions and capabilities as a total system, this book is a must read."

—Takahiro Fujimoto, Professor
University of Tokyo

"The most thorough explanation of the unique learning culture that Toyota has built, which is the real key to their phenomenal business success."

—George Koenigsaecker, President
Lean Investments, LLC

"Readers of Hino's book will understand how Toyota continuously develops its management system to adapt to the changing competitive global environment. They will explore the "hidden" infrastructure -- the organizational DNA, corporate culture, and updated production and management systems -- that underlies Toyota's huge profits and continuous growth. This book provides invaluable insight on how corporate managers can develop their own competitive systems."

—Yasuhiro Monden, Ph.D.
Professor-Emeritus, Tsukuba University
Professor, Dean, School of Business Administration
Mejiro University, Tokyo, Japan

"If you want facts, figures, charts, and graphs that give you a detailed analysis and factual accounting, this is a must-read."

—From the Foreword by Jeffrey K. Liker, Ph.D.
Professor, Industrial and Operations Engineering
University of Michigan
Author, The Toyota Way

About the Author:

Satoshi Hino is a Professor at Hiroshima University. He earned a degree in engineering at Tohoku University in 1968, the same year he joined a major Japanese automotive manufacturer. There, he worked in R&D of engines until 1987 and in 1988 transferred to R&D's administrative (staff) section to take charge of activities focused on improving product development and management systems. Hino has spent more than 20 years researching the subject of this book.

About Productivity Press:

Founded to provide world-class guidance for every level of an organization, Productivity Press is unrivaled in publishing high-quality material on lean manufacturing and business improvement. Our books and learning tools are designed to help educate and support organizations in their efforts to implement the advanced management and manufacturing methodologies required to compete in today's global business environment.