Exercise 1 – Critical Assessment of the Toyota Production System (TPS)
a. Demonstrate your team's basic understanding of the TPS by 1) defining in your team's
own words any eight of the terms found at http://www.toyotageorgetown.com/terms.asp and
2) applying them to one or more of your team's own companies or other organizations.
b. Describe the TPS as a total entity. What are its purposes? Its advantages? It's
limitations? How is it now evolving? Is it getting better – or not? Has it been successfully
copied by other motor vehicle manufacturers? Why or why not?
Exercise 2 – Grid Analysis
a) List of the key main factors considered by Schrodinger Team for the Toyota Motor
Manufacturing; North America Plan location decision.
Exercise 3 – Production Capacity Needed at Toyota Motor Manufacturing of Canada
(TMMC)
a) To maximize profit earned during this period, which production capacity should TMMC
in 2000 decide to build – 10,000, 15,000, 20,000, 25,000, or 30,000 cars? Justify your choice.
b. What are the weaknesses or limitations in this analysis? How might they be corrected or
at least reduced?
c. It is now late 2016. How well has the RX-330/350 actually done in the North American
market? Is its quality rated as high as if it were made in Japan?
Exercise 4 – Assessment of Toyota’s Current Regional Production Strategy
