Kiichiro Toyoda wordt beschouwd als de geestelijk vader van Just-in-Time, later geperfectioneerd door Taiichi Ohno. Zelf zei hij erover in 1938 in een interview met een journalist: “I believe that the most important thing is to ensure that there is neither shortage nor excess, that is, to ensure that there is no excess labor and time for the designated production. There is no waste and there is no excess. It means not having to wait for parts to be circulated around. For Just-in-Time, it is important that each part be ready ‘just in time’. This is the first principle of increasing efficiency”.
