Lean Production innovation – in manufacturing systems
Read Lean Production innovation – in manufacturing systems and check the IELTS Reading answers. After the First World War, car makers Henry Ford and Arthur Sloan of General Motors moved world manufacturing from centuries of craft production into the age of mass production. Largely as a result of th…
Passage preview
After the First World War, car makers Henry Ford and Arthur Sloan of General Motors moved world manufacturing from centuries of craft production into the age of mass production. Largely as a result of this, the United States soon dominated the world economy. After the Second World War, and approximately a hundred years after Japan opened up to the modern world, Eiji Toyoda and Taiichi Ohno pioneered the concept of lean production at the Toyota car company. And now, although superimposing the method on existing mass production systems causes pain and upheaval, manufacturers around the world are trying to embrace this innovative system.
Vocabulary from this passage
10 words worth learning before you sit the test, each with the sentence it appears in.
- attain verb
To succeed in achieving something that one has worked for
It took years of dedication to attain the highest level of proficiency.
- compromise verb
To accept standards that are lower than is desirable; to settle a dispute by mutual concession
The company refused to compromise on safety standards despite budget cuts.
- cultivate verb
To try to acquire or develop a quality, sentiment, or skill
The university seeks to cultivate an atmosphere of intellectual curiosity.
- dispiriting adjective
Causing someone to lose enthusiasm and hope; discouraging
The constant rejections were dispiriting for the young job seeker.
- fluctuation noun
An irregular rising and falling in number or amount; a variation
Market instability led to a wild fluctuation in oil prices.
- requisite adjective
Made necessary by particular circumstances or regulations; required
She lacked the requisite experience for the senior management position.
- subsequent adjective
Coming after something in time; following
The initial error led to failure in all subsequent stages of the project.
- superfluous adjective
Unnecessary, especially through being more than enough
The report was edited to remove all superfluous information and focus on the core data.
- superimpose verb
To place or lay one thing over another, typically so that both are still evident
The director superimposed the credits over the final scene of the movie.
- upheaval noun
A violent or sudden change or disruption to something
The political revolution caused significant social and economic upheaval.
Answers with explanations
- 14. ii
Paragraph 14 traces the timeline from craft production to mass production and then to lean production. This progression through time constitutes the **historical context** of the manufacturing systems.
- 15. iv
Paragraph 15 details the characteristics of craft and mass production, highlighting their respective advantages and disadvantages (costs, rigidity, variety), and explains how lean production fits in. This matches the heading **The pros and cons of different production systems**.
- 16. vii
Paragraph 16 explains why the system is named 'lean' (because it uses less of everything). This directly addresses **The origin of the term**.
- 17. viii
Paragraph 17 contrasts the 'good enough' standard of mass production with the uncompromising standards of lean production. This highlights **A crucial difference in levels of quality**.
- 18. x
Paragraph 18 lists cost reduction and three intermediate objectives, emphasizing that they cannot be achieved separately. This interdependence for the goal of cost (expenditure) reduction matches **Interdependent strategies for controlling expenditure**.
- 19. vi
Paragraph 19 describes the 'just-in-time' mechanism, which manages the flow of components and eliminates inventories. This is a procedure for **controlling supply** to the production line.
- 20. iii
Paragraph 20 describes 'autonamation', which involves automatic checking for defects and stopping the line if problems occur. This is a clear description of **Procedures for controlling quality**.
- 21. [craft, craft production]
The sentence mentions 'unusual cars' (exotic sports cars) are produced by a specific method. The text identifies this as the **craft** method (or **craft production**), noting it remains popular for such items. 'Craft' fits grammatically.
- 22. [multi-skilled, multiskilled]
The sentence states lean production requires staff who are ____. The text explains that companies using this system appoint **multi-skilled** workers. The adjective 'multi-skilled' fits the description of the staff.
- 23. manufacturing space
The sentence lists things lean production uses less of: people (human effort), equipment (tools), time, and ____. The text explicitly mentions **manufacturing space** as one of the things reduced by half.
- 24. just-in-time
The sentence states storage facilities (stores/warehouses) are not needed if a procedure known as ____ is implemented. The text identifies this procedure as **just-in-time**, which eliminates the need for warehouses.
- 25. abnormalities
The sentence defines Autonamation as a procedure for spotting ____. The text defines it as the automatic checking for **abnormalities**. This noun fits the gap perfectly.
- 26. lights
The sentence mentions that ____ are suspended above manual production lines. The text describes **lights** being hung high in the factory to indicate problems. 'Lights' is the correct noun.