Jidoka or Autonomation Definition

Also know as Autonomation Jidoka is a main principle or idea in Autonomation. Jidoka is a key component of successful Lean Manufacturing implementations. Jidoka is not a new concept. In 1902 Sakichi Toyoda developed an automatic loom with a built in auto stop function that would shut down the machine if it detected a single broken thread. The advantages of this one feature are quite impressive as you will see. Sakichi’s discovery prevented defective products from advancing to downstream operations, and it also prevented material from being wasted.

When defective product is allowed to advance to downstream operations, it causes us to waste valuable labor and materials on products that are defective and unusable. Another main goal Jidoka is to separate humans from machines. Sakichi’s built in stop function allowed 24 – 36 of these machines to be operated by one person, which is an incredible reduction in direct labor and remarkable leap in productivity. One operator would then rove among all of these machines and tend to those machines that had stopped. To find out more about autonomation and Jidoka please purchase the video below it is about 10 minutes long and covers Jidoka, autonomation and automation.

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