Summary of Inventory Pilot Project March 1993 - December 1994

The Lean Aircraft Initiative began in the summer of 1992 as a “quick look” into the feasibility of applying manufacturing principles that had been pioneered in the automobile industry, most notably the Toyota Production System, to the U.S. defense aircraft industry. Once it was established that “lean principles” (the term coined to describe the new paradigm in automobile manufacturing) were indeed applicable to aircraft manufacturing as well, the Initiative was broadened to include other segments of the defense aerospace industry. These consisted of electronics/avionics, engines, electro-mechanical systems, missiles, and space systems manufacturers. In early 1993, a formal framework was established in which 21 defense firms and the Air Force formed a consortium to support and participate in the Initiative at M.I.T.

Summary of Research Conducted by the Manufacturing Systems Team 1994-2002

The Manufacturing Systems team was one of the research teams within the Lean Aerospace Initiative (LAI) whose goal was to document, analyze and communicate the design attributes and relationships that lead to significant performance improvements in manufacturing systems in the defense aerospace industry. This report will provide an integrated record of this research using the Production Operations Transition to Lean Roadmap as its organizing framework.