Second World Conference on POM and 15th Annual POM Conference, Cancun, Mexico, April 30 - May 3, 2004.

Abstract Number 002-0191

Proposal and Implementation of

Human Intelligence-Production Operating System “HI-POS”

- Arrangement of Global Production Strategy in Toyota -

Hirohisa Sakai

Toyota Motor Corporation

1 Toyota, Toyota-shi, Aichi-ken, 471-8571 Japan

Tel: +81.565.23.4880 Fax: +81.565.23.5808

E-mail: h_sakai@mail.toyota.co.jp

Kakuro Amasaka

Aoyama Gakuin University

5-10-1 Fuchinobe, Sagamihara-shi, Kanagawa-ken, 229-8558 Japan

Tel: +81.42.759.6313 Fax: +81.42.759.6556

E-mail: kakuro_amasaka@ise.aoyama.ac.jp

Abstract- The authors propose HI-POS as a way of practically achieving

intelligent productivity, recognizing the need for the creation of a new, people-centered

production system that incorporates rich creativity and the motivation of those involved.

HI-POS is particularly significant because it offers support for both the next-generation

digital engineering systems already proposed by the authors, V-MICS (A), which

improves production operators’ operational technology abilities in regard to integrated

equipment, and V-IOS (B), which improves levels of mastered skills. In addition to this,

HI-POS is comprised of three core systems that improve the intelligence level of

production operators’ technology and skills (an intelligent diagnostic method, HID (C),

which assists in the discovery of factors inhibiting the attainment of high quality, an

integrated assistance system, HIA (D), which links human wisdom to technical evolution

and the dissemination of information, and HDP (E), a linkage system which utilizes a

digital pipeline to ensure that intelligent production information is passed throughout a

process, from design to manufacturing stages. The authors have applied HI-POS within

the cutting-edge corporate environment of Toyota, and have verified its effectiveness.

They are now proposing it as a foundation global production strategy.

Keywords- HI-POS, Global Production Strategy, the intelligence of

production operator, the three core systems (HID, HIA, HDP), Toyota

1. Introduction

In order for Japan’s manufacturing industry to realize its goal of customer-first, high

quality guaranteed manufacturing leading to success in global production, it is becoming

more and more important that consistent levels of quality can be achieved, along with

appropriate localization of manufacturing. The authors believe that it is vital that the work

of production operators is made more intelligent, in order to be able to respond to the

raising of levels of technology within production systems. This is a new key to opening

up the possibilities of global production.

As can be seen within the automobile industry, overseas production is developing at an

extremely high speed, with production being shifted into developed countries such as the

USA and Europe, and developing countries within Asia. In response to the increasing

quantitative expansions of overseas plants, simultaneous improvements in productivity and

quality assurance are also required, to levels equivalent to those achieved in Japan. As

high levels of digital engineering-based automation (mechanization involving IT) are

introduced increasingly to production lines, it is vital that higher levels of ability and

precision are realized within the production systems, so as to allow these challenges to be

met.

Production operators are required (1) to be skilled in the operation of integrated

equipment utilized in the mass production process, to prevent the incidence of breakdowns

in individual facilities or production systems overall that result in reduced availability and

quality. They are also required to ensure the reliability and maintainability of the

production lines, through defect analysis, maintenance and preventative maintenance of

production systems and facilities. In addition to this, due to the fact that in integrated

assembly industries such as automobile manufacture there are many areas in which

automation cannot provide all the skills required, production operators are required (2) to

have their own specific knack and key skills (mastered skills), particularly in the important

step of built-in quality. At the same time, manual operation lines, which feature largely in

developing countries, and produce smaller quantities, tend to have a wider range of

operations than fully automated lines, and therefore workers in these facilities are required

to have at least the same levels of skills as Japanese workers, if not higher.

The authors believe that production operators are currently required to break away from

their conventional attitudes of simple labor operations, and make the shift to a new

paradigm of intelligent production operations, which will be more motivational. The

authors propose HI-POS (Human Intelligence - Production Operating System) as a way of

practically improving intelligent productivity, recognizing the need for the creation of a

new, people-centered production system that incorporates rich creativity and the motivation

of those involved. HI-POS incorporates V-MICS (Virtual Maintenance Innovated

Computer System) (A), which was previously proposed by the authors [1][2], and which acts

as a key technology in improving the use of intelligent production techniques, through

raising production operators’ operational technology abilities in regard to integrated

equipment, and V-IOS (Virtual Intelligence Operator System) (B), which improves

production operators’ levels of mastered skills. It is a new intelligent operation

educational system with these two core systems at its heart.

In addition to this, HI-POS includes three core systems that improve the intelligence

level of production operators’ technology and skills (an intelligent diagnostic method, HID

(Human Intelligence Diagnostic System) (C), which assists in the discovery of factors

inhibiting the attainment of high quality, an integrated assistance system, HIA (Human

Integrated Assist System) (D), which links human wisdom to technical evolution and the

dissemination of information, and HDP (Human Digital Pipeline System) (E), a linkage

system which utilizes a digital pipeline to ensure that intelligent production information is

passed throughout a process, from design to manufacturing stages. The authors have

applied HI-POS within the cutting-edge corporate environment of Toyota, and have verified

its effectiveness. They are now proposing it as a foundation of global production strategy.

2. The current status and issue relating to the training of production

operators in IT age

As noted above, the Japanese manufacturing industry is pressing ahead at high speeds

with moving production bases overseas, in order to improve competitiveness. The

creation of a production system that can deal with these shifts is an outstanding issue of

vital importance. Conventionally, companies have sent experienced, highly skilled

trainers from within Japan to these locations, and implemented man-to-man skills training

of production operators. In this way, since the level to which skills and abilities were

passed on to production operators depended on the individual quality of the highly skilled

trainer involved, the process was open to confusion when trainers were replaced, since

different things would be taught by different people, and as a result, there was a large

variation in terms of the skills acquired by production operators. This issue was present

not only in overseas plants, but in Japan too.

In response to this, a variety of IT systems began to be introduced to facilities and

equipment designed for use in production overseas from the second half of the 1990s, in

line with the swift progress in IT capabilities. Significant changes were anticipated from

the introduction of digital engineering to the production process, both in plants within Japan

and those in developed countries overseas. Alongside this frequent investment in IT

systems, however, insufficient attention was paid to the issues involved in training

production operators to improve their operational technology in regard to integrated

equipment, or their mastered skills, and as a result, the anticipated benefits were not

achieved in many cases.

One of the reasons that this occurred was that IT tools and IT-based systems were merely

introduced, with the assumption that these would lead to the reforms necessary for the

realization of integrated production systems and processes. Essentially, IT was introduced

as an end in itself. A second reason was the level of vagueness, or tacit knowledge,

regarding the skills and working methods required of people involved in the production

process. If the skills and techniques, as well as know-how and operating rules, required of

individuals and organizations, remain unclear, any IT systems would be ineffective and the

desired benefits would not be achieved. This is assumed to be the issue behind a wide

variety of manufacturing problems.

3. The structure of production operators’ intelligent operation support

systems V-MICS and V-IOS

The authors propose V-MICS [1] (A), which improves production operators’ operational

technology abilities in regard to integrated equipment, in preparation for global production.

This system works to make possible support for improvements in production operators’

operating skills and techniques, such as equipment availability administration, defect

analysis [3][4], and other intelligence-based functions. As a result of this, production

operators are able to understand the status of their equipment, and establish a system that

deals with problems as they occur, resulting in the given benefits. In addition to this, the

introduction of a system incorporating computer graphics and databases into new IT-based

operating sheets allows operators throughout the world, who function in different languages,

to access a unified understanding of their work. The benefits of this system have already

been verified and are now being applied.

In addition to this, the authors proposed the intelligent operator educational system

V-IOS [2] (B), which improves levels of mastered skills among production operators. The

contribution this system makes to the evolution and dissemination of production operators’

mastered skills leads to improved productivity among production operators when setting up

a new overseas plant, and the given benefits have already been acknowledged.

As shown in figure 1, V-MICS and V-IOS are compatible and complementary, and are

established as an intelligent operation support system that improves the key technologies of

production operators.

Figure 1: V-MICS and V-IOS [1][2]

4. Proposal of HI-POS, improving the intelligent skills of production

operators

4.1 Improving the intelligent productivity of production operators

As mentioned earlier, the key to global production success lies in improving the

intelligent productivity of production operators. In order to achieve this, it is important to

ensure that the visualization of the integrated production processes, which are changing so

much as a result of the introduction of IT and computerization, is achieved. A basic

element of this is the use of V-MICS (C), which facilitates production operators in

understanding the whole range of integrated production processes.

Following on from this is the use of V-IOS (D) in raising the level of mastered skills and

the dissemination of skills and information in response to the evolution taking place in

production. For this, it is important to ensure the clarification and standardization of

elemental skills required for mastered operations. This facilitates the improvement of

mastered skills.

In addition to this, it is important to establish a system (E) for sharing the latest

intelligent information relating to operational technology within integrated equipment,

and mastered skills, between production lines and divisions, since this information

changes gradually and consistently.

4.2 The architecture of HI-POS and the five core systems

Based on the five viewpoints expressed above (A), (B), (C), (D) and (E), the authors

propose that the objective, in other words the improvement of production operators’

intelligent productivity, can be achieved through the utilization of the five core systems

shown in figure 2 ((A) V-MICS, (B) V-IOS, (C) HID, (D) HIA, (E) HDP), facilitating a

next-generation intelligent production framework. HI-POS is proposed as this system,

with the added benefit of realizing a new, people-centered production system.

The particular features of HID, HIA and HDP are outlined below.

Figure 2: HI-POS architecture

4.3 HID, concept and structural elements

HID, as proposed by the authors, incorporates the following specific features. Firstly,

(1) it is important to visualize the availability status of the overall system structure,

comprising the equipment, workers, control equipment and computers involved in the

integrated equipment line, based on a flow of things and tasks. Secondly (2), it is

important to visualize the production process, through the conversion of information,

relating to control equipment etc. in the integrated production process, into production

engineering information data. This achieves the clarification of tacit information that to

date has existed only as a type of ‘black box’ in relation to integrated equipment and

integrated production processes.

Specifically, HID has been proposed as a system for the analysis of problems, proposal

of countermeasures, prior evaluations, implementation of countermeasures, and final

evaluations relating to integrated production processes. The system structural elements

are comprised of the seven steps shown in figure 3 below.

Figure 3: Concept and structural elements of HID [1]

1) In the analysis plan proposal, the objectives and policies for analysis is clarified and

related persons share relevant information. The following analyses and

countermeasures are planned in agreement with related parties.

2) A fact-finding survey is carried out, based on “genchi-genbutsu” and in line with the

objectives and policies for analysis. This survey is divided into the survey and analysis

of the overall outline, and a survey and analysis of the details. The former involves

gaining an understanding of the outline of the entire process to be analyzed, and defining

any problem areas. The latter is based on these results, and aims to make problem

issues still clearer.

3) Overall problem issues are defined in terms of the elements related to both the

production process and the production line division (people, things, money, information,

time, etc.). The positive and negative of each of these is analyzed from various

perspectives in terms of integrated production processes. Furthermore, the authors

have established and are applying a new modeling method, TLSC (Total Link System

Chart), which facilitates the consideration of kaizen details and methods already

implemented.

A specific example of TLSC is shown in figure 4. The main features of this system are

(a) the clarification of analysis, (b) the organization of a yardstick by which to measure

the positive and negative elements of the production process, (c) the clarification of

working relationships between organizations, (d) the clarification of the flow of work

and information, (e) the clarification of knowledge and know-how, (f) an understanding

of resources available, and (g) the uncovering and organization of problem areas.

Figure 4. An example of TLSC

4) When tracking down problem areas, TLSC, mentioned above, should be utilized,

allowing latent problems to also be discovered.

5) Problem areas should be organized by grouping using the KJ and other methods.

6) The true source of problems should be traced using further logical development and

appropriate collection and organization of verifying information.

7) In terms of the proposal and evaluation of countermeasures, the level to which each

proposal will implement kaizen, as well as the cost of kaizen, should be considered.

4.4 HIA, concept and structural elements

The level of performance of production operators should be evaluated using HID, as

explained above. In addition to engineering and technical skills, it is important that

operators possess a spirit of challenge and creativity, enabling them to realize their own

targets, and work with commitment, pride and logic.

For this reason, the authors propose HIA as a new system that supports operators in

autonomous kaizen activities, enabling them to ask and answer questions for themselves in

relation to the work in which they are engaged. This system comprises the following

elements, as a means of developing the knack and key skills of production operators

engaged in standardized tasks as shown in figure 5. (1) Global implementation of same

standards, (2) convenience, (3) maintenance / maintainability of intelligent systems.

Implementing this system allows production operators to be autonomous and committed in

improving their own mastered skills.

Figure 5: Concept and structural elements of HIA [2]

4.5 HDP, concept and structural elements

HDP, as proposed by the authors, is a linkage system, which utilizes a digital pipeline to

ensure that intelligent production information relating to technical and engineering

knowledge is passed throughout a process, from design to manufacturing stages, in order to

facilitate stronger simultaneous startups throughout the world. HDP facilitates intelligent

training, with its increasing requirements for intelligent productivity.

The main structural elements of this system are shown in figure 6: (1) the use of design

data, even in cases where there is no prototype, relating to a new product, from its design to

the production engineering stage, as well as the individual operations used by production

operators on the assembly line, all of which are included in a work instruction sheet, which

is created in advance. (2) Facilitating image training in the proscribed order of assembly,

even when there is no actual process available to refer to, so that the necessary technical

and engineering processes are understood and operators are trained in them from the

production engineering process stage.

These work to reduce the disparity level between individual production operators, and

allow the bottom-up communication of skills to those unfamiliar with them in a short time.

Figure 6: Structural elements of HDP

5. Example of HI-POS implementation

5.1 HI-POS hardware and software systems

I should like to spend some time explaining the example of HI-POS as applied within

the cutting-edge corporate environment of Toyota. Figure 7 shows the hardware and

software systems required for the structure of HI-POS – comprising (A) V-MICS, (B)

V-IOS, (C) HID, (D) HIA, and (E) HDP.

Figure 7. Hardware and software structures in HI-POS [1][2]

In (A) V-MICS, there are software which describes the disassemble figure of robot parts

by CG and hardware which share the information. In (B) V-IOS, there are software which

visualize the knack and key skills of the operations and the same hardware which share the

information as I mentioned. In (C) HID, there are software which specify the concrete

output and the method in production processes and hardware which we can administrate

and make use of them on computer. In (D) HIA, there are friendly software which can be

used all over the world and the same hardware which share the information as I mentioned

above. In (E) HDP, there are software and hardware from which we can produce the work

instruction sheet by using the necessary data through the digital pipeline.

By using these systems, the production operators put into practice the improvement of

their skills.

5.2 The application and effectiveness of HID, HIA and HDP

Authors have verified the application examples of both (A) V-MICS and (B) V-IOS [1] [2],

and their effectiveness. Therefore we explain the three specific examples of the

implementation of core aspects ((C) HID, (D) HIA and (E) HDP) employed in the proposal

of HI-POS, and perceive the effectiveness of this system.

(1) Visualization of high-level production processes in an overseas plant by HID

Firstly, in the area of (C), HID, we utilized V-MICS [1] to implement the visualization of

integrated production processes during the production engineering process in an overseas

plant. This contributed to the reduction in the number of times a process required

repetition. A particular example would be that of the assembly operation training as

shown in figure 8-a.

Work procedure methods for assembly processes have been organized in order (a)

classroom training, skill training, off-line training and on-line training. (b) The trainers

are able to pick out their evaluation methods on time. Furthermore they can do the

actual training systematically.

This enabled a new plant, opening overseas, to achieve its target availability ratio within

the same time, and to the same level, as would have been achieved by a domestic plant.

(2) Development of highly skilled trainers by HIA

In terms of (D), HIA, V-IOS [2] was utilized in the acquisition of mastered skills.

Production operators’ knack and key skills were broken down, analyzed and taught

systematically, using the assembly operation training system shown in figure 8-b.

For example, knack and key skills of production operators in the assembly process are

divided up into (a) fundamental skill, elemental work and standardized work. Basic skills

can be further divided into eight elemental areas, such as (b) tightening, fitting, pasting, etc.

This allowed a reduction in the assembly operation training time, and contributed to the

development of highly skilled trainers.

(3) Built-in quality and the improvement of availability by HDP

In terms of (E), HDP was implemented through the use of component parts design data,

which was included in the assembly line work instruction sheet, as shown in figure 8-c.

Conventionally, production operators underwent training once a new product assembly line

was up and running, but in comparison with this, much of the work was able to be done

before the startup of the assembly line.

Concretely (a) the design data is utilized in order to make the process more transparent,

and to explain the assembly process in a way that is easy to understand. And (b) good and

bad examples of areas requiring quality confirmation are displayed using computer

graphics.

The system, therefore, contributed significantly to built-in quality and the improvement

of availability.

Figure 8-a: Example of the system as applied within the front-line corporate environment

of Toyota (Work training process for assembly operations).

Figure 8-c: Example of the system as applied within the front-line corporate environment

of Toyota (Work instruction sheet for assembly).

Figure 8-b: Example of the system as applied within the front-line corporate environment

of Toyota (Work training system for assembly operations).

5.3 HI-POS application and its role as a cornerstone of global production strategies

As mentioned above, the application of the core systems that make up HI-POS – (A)

V-MICS, (B) V-IOS, (C) HID, (D) HIA and (E) HDP, gave, among others, the following

results as anticipated:

1) Because of an improvement in high-level production equipment and facilities operating

skills and in facilities and equipment reliability, we achieved the same MTBF and MTTR

in overseas plants equivalent to that of domestic plants and the target availability ratio in

fourth week after start of production.

2) According to the correction in the disparity between skills among operators in different

countries, we controlled of quality disparity between plants in different countries and

achieved the defective production rate equivalent to that of domestic plants.

3) The bottom-up acquisition of skills by new employees within a short space of time led

the basic knowledge and skills acquired by new employees in 2.5 days.

This system was applied in Toyota’s overseas plants in France (Toyota Motor

Manufacturing France SAS, 2000 onwards), Mexico (Toyota Motor Manufacturing de Baja

California S. de R. L. de C. V., 2004 onwards), and China (Tianjin Faw Toyota Motor Co.

Ltd., 2004 onwards), among others, and achieved the given results. It has become a

cornerstone for Toyota’s Global Production Strategy, which is ‘the same quality of products

worldwide, manufactured in the most appropriate location’.

6. Conclusion

The authors propose HI-POS as a way forward in the creation of a new, people-centered

production system that incorporates rich creativity and the motivation of those involved.

HI-POS offers support for production operators’ intelligent production activities through

the implementation of V-MICS (A), which improves production operators’ operational

technology abilities in regard to high-level equipment, and V-IOS (B), a digital engineering

system that improves levels of mastered skills. In addition to this, HI-POS is comprised

of three core systems that improve the intelligence level of production operators’

technology and skills (an intelligent diagnostic method, HID (C), which assists in the

discovery of factors inhibiting the attainment of high quality, an integrated assistance

system, HIA (D), which supports technical evolution and the dissemination of information,

and HDP (E), a linkage system which utilizes a digital pipeline to ensure that intelligent

production information is passed throughout a process, from design to manufacturing

stages.) The authors have applied HI-POS within the cutting-edge corporate environment

of Toyota, and have verified its effectiveness. They are now proposing it as a foundation

of global production strategy.

References

[1] H. Sakai and K. Amasaka: “V-MICS in the Production Facilities Administration by

Utilizing DB and CG for the Maintenance Activities”, Proc. of the Second Euro-Japanese

Workshop on Stochastic Risk Modelling for Finance, Insurance, Production and Reliability,

France, pp.443-452 (Sep 2002).

[2] H. Sakai and K. Amasaka, “Proposal and Demonstration of “V-MICS-EM” by Digital

Engineering”, Proc. of 17th International Conference on Production Research, U.S.A.,

pp.1-8 (Aug 2003).

[3] K.Amasaka, and H.Sakai, “Improving the Reliability of Body Assembly Line

Equipment”, International Journal of Reliability, Quality and Safety Engineering, Vol.3,

No.1, pp.11-24 (1996).

[4] K.Amasaka, and H.Sakai, “Availability and Reliability Information Administration

System “ARIM-BL” by Methodology in Inline-Online SQC”, International Journal of

Reliability, Quality and Safety Engineering, Vol.5, No.1. pp.55-63 (1998)．