The Evolution of a Manufacturing System at Toyota

Professor Takahiro Fujimoto, in his book ‘The Evolution of a Manufacturing System at Toyota,’ examines the entire postwar development of the systems that Toyota has used to become a dominant player in the automobile industry. That long-term historical view of a successful firm's development would be sufficient reason to pick up the book. The book's title does not indicate the important conceptual contribution that Fujimoto makes to our understanding of the evolution of systems within firms. He argues that only by combining a rational and orderly organization with a willingness to constantly consider change will a firm be able both to develop competitive advantage and sustain it.