
174 ◾ Lean Production Simplified, Third Edition
The Control Department
17
Concept
At Toyota I came to understand that the control department concept was the
key to breaking down the silos that cripple so many organizations.
18
Core
company focus areas such as productivity, quality, cost, and safety require
the coordinated effort of many groups. These are cross-functional goals. For
example, to meet quality objectives, the following groups must pull together:
◾ Manufacturing
◾ Purchasing
◾ Production control
◾ Engineering
◾ Maintenance
◾ Quality
The control department, in this case quality, would coordinate the cross-
functional activities required ...