Quality News

Kamishibai is a Management Tool!!!
But, also Kamishibai , literally “paper drama”, is a form of storytelling that originated in Japanese Buddhist temples in the 12th century, where monks used e-maki (picture scrolls) to convey stories with moral lessons to a mostly illiterate audience.

As part of the Toyota Production System, a kamishibai board is used as a visual control for performing audits within a manufacturing process. A series of cards are placed on a board and selected at random or according to schedule by supervisors and managers of the area. This insures safety and cleanliness of the workplace is maintained and that quality checks are being performed.(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Kamishibai System Strengthens ISO 14001 and Heightens Environmental Awareness at TMMWV (Toyota Motor Manufacturing, West Virginia, Inc.)

Although ISO 14001 certification was a milestone to be celebrated, the challenge to maintain this high level of intensity requires constant monitoring and kaizen of the Environmental Management System (EMS).



In order to integrate EMS to standard work practices, TMMWV created environmental kamishibai consistent with the Toyota Production System. The establishment of the kamishibai system began with a list of all the tasks that could be audited.
Included in these were questions and answers; document control; proper paperwork; record retention; objectives and targets; and area inspections.

These tasks were then broken down into groups and assigned to numbered cards. ISO Area representatives took on the responsibility of performing weekly assessments to ensure these items are kept up to standards. While many of the cards are completed each month, this system ensures that even those low frequency items, completed on a quarterly basis, are not missed out. With the kamishibai system of assessments, TMMWV’s momentum is never lost. TMMWV’s environmental actions are steadily being promoted.