The Twi Workbook: Essential Skills for Supervisors (with CD)
TWI was developed in the United States to accelerate training for World War II. It is basic industrial engineering with a twist: supervisors are teachers who work cooperatively with workers on the shop floor to teach them the job. While TWI largely disappeared from the American landscape shortly after WWII it was brought over to Japan where Toyota made this the foundation of its standardized work. Toyota evolved TWI to fit the unique philosophy of the Toyota Production System. This book brings TWI back to light outside Toyota and illustrates its contemporary power through detailed case studies. As the authors correctly note the disciplined training of workers by supervisors (group leaders) is a missing link in most implementation of lean production.—Professor Jeffrey Liker, University of Michigan, Shingo Prize-Winning Author ofThe ToyotaWayIn the face of intense global change, first line supervisors, in order to objectively take charge of their own circumstances, must develop fundamental supervisory skills. Based on a respect for humanity and the scientific approach, TWI represents fundamental and rational supervisory skills that were widely adopted by Japanese industry and became the driving force behind its industrial development. Coming through the confusion that followed the collapse of Japan's economic bubble, the value and importance of TWI is again being recognized and it is quickly being reestablished throughout Japan. Furthermore, we are seeing genuine development of the program in Japanese industries operating throughout Asia.The Japan Industrial Training Association has been the primary promoter of TWI in Japan since 1950. After 60 years, we have great hopes that, with the earnest reevaluation of TWI in the U.S.A. where it was developed, we might see a worldwide trend toward TWI training. The publication of this book is a major step in that direction.—Kazuhiko Watanabe, Managing Director, Japan Industrial Training Association (JITA)If companies would spend half the time on developing these essential skills in the supervisor ranks that they spend on conducting Value Stream Mapping or Kaizen Workshops today, I am convinced that they would not only achieve more impressive results but the results would stick better as well.—Art Smalley, Shingo Prize-Winning Author, President, Art of Lean, Inc., and Former employee of the Toyota Motor Corp., JapanPatrick Graupp and Bob Wrona teach us how to "learn by doing" the TWI methods that are necessary if a business leader desires to make the leap to a higher level of operational performance.—Jim Huntzinger, TWI Trainer, Lean Accounting Summit and Highland PathPatrick Graupp has a long career teaching and leading the TWI program. Immediately upon arriving in Japan in 1980 he took up the promotion of TWI and helped introduce it to Sanyo plants throughout the world. After returning to the U.S., he exhaustively promoted TWI there and became a rare and exceptional instructor. He has a thorough understanding of the TWI courses and a rich experience teaching them which makes him the best person today to reintroduce TWI to the U.S.A.—Kazuhiko Shibuya, TWI