Getting "Lean" at the Toyota Manufacturing Facility!
On Monday, February 9 th , the first-year graduate students took a tour of the Toyota Manufacturing Facility here in San Antonio. They began by watching a short video on the history of the facility. Shortly after, they were greeted by their tour guide. While on the tram, the students were able to see how the Kaizen and Lean methodology are utilized in the production of Toyota Tacomas and Toyota Tundras over 2.2 million square feet. They were taken to the Body Weld Shop, the Plastics Shop, and viewed overhead conveyors transport the trucks from Paint to the Final Line in assembly. Overall, this was a great experience. It allowed the first year students to see first-hand how Kaizen and Lean is successfully done. As future healthcare administrators, understanding process improvement techniques and incorporating them is not only challenging, yet is fundamental for an efficiently operated hospital.