Development of Advanced TPS for Global Production Strategy: Proposal and Demonstration of V-MICS-VM for Intelligence Operators

To achieve simultaneous, worldwide high-quality assurance and other global production developments, today’s task is to maintain high reliability in production facilities. In response to the increasing expansion of overseas plants, it is necessary to improve and maintain highly accurate production equipment through the development of intelligence operators. The authors have clarified Advanced TPS as a global production technology and management model designed to realize high quality assurance in global production. Furthermore, the authors propose V-MICS-VM (Virtual - Maintenance Innovated Computer System – utilizing Visual Manual) as a new people-centered principle that contributes to Advanced TPS utilizing a visual manual that consists of three elements, (i) fundamental skill acquisition (-FSA), (ii) equipment knowledge acquisition (- EKA) and (iii) preventive maintenance acquisition (-PMA). Specifically, the authors have developed a visual manual that can be simultaneously distributed and used throughout the world. The effectiveness of this system has been verified at the domestic and overseas Toyota plants.