From the self-stopping loom of Sakichi Toyoda (1896), made a pillar of Toyota's production system by Taiichi Ohno (1978).
Builds a process to stop itself the moment something abnormal appears, so each defect is fixed at its source before it flows downstream.
When to reach for it
Quality that depends on end-of-line inspection, with defects slipping into the next stage.
How it runs
- List the abnormal conditions that should halt the work.
- Install a way to detect each one: sensors, checks, automated tests.
- Stop the process when one is detected.
- Find and fix the cause before restarting.
- Reward stopping over running with defects.
Where it sits in SOLVE eX
Go to the source
- Self-stopping automatic loom, 1896
- Toyota Production System: Beyond Large-Scale Production, 1978
- The Toyota Way, 2004