
8 ◾ Lean Production Simplified, Third Edition
diffused to Europe, first through the expansion of Ford and General Motors
and later through the growth of companies such as Fiat, Renault, and Citroen.
This state of affairs might have continued indefinitely but for the oil crisis
of the 1970s and developments in Toyota City.
Birth of Lean Production
In the spring of 1950, a young Japanese engineer named Eiji Toyoda vis-
ited Ford’s vast Rouge plant in Detroit. Both Japan and the Toyota Motor
Company, which his family had founded in 1937, were in crisis. After 13
years of effort Toyota had only been able to produce 2,685 automobiles. By
contrast Ford’ ...