Toyota rebuilt manufacturing around holding almost no inventory at all

Developed by engineer Taiichi Ohno after visits to American supermarkets restocking shelves only as items sold, the Toyota Production System makes parts arrive just as they're needed on the line, rather than sitting in a warehouse. The approach cut waste dramatically and was later copied across global manufacturing, though the pandemic exposed how little slack it leaves when a single supplier fails.

— Taiichi Ohno, Toyota Production System: Beyond Large-Scale Production — Productivity Press, 1988 (English translation)
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