摘要：Lean manufacturing was pioneered by Toyota Motor Company in Japan during the 1950s. It has since become the standard for many manufacturing companies in Japan and around the world. This produc-tion system tries to improve on the type of mass production systems that have been prominent in the post-war period. Instead of organizing pro-duction according to a pre-set schedule it operates on the premise of a so-called "pull system", whereby the flow of materials and products through the various stages of production is triggered by the customer. In addition, the production process itself is subject to continuous im-provement efforts. The GM strike during June and July of 1998 showed the extent to which lean manufacturing production methods, such as efforts to keep inventories low and reduce the number of parts suppliers, have taken hold in the U.S. auto sector.
