Toyota

How do American Auto Manufacturer's compare with Toyota's TPS? TPS is a constant item for discussion in Toyota Times. From my resume it appears that I developed TPS in less than two months. It is true that the Master Data Base Program (the brain of TPS) was developed by me. However, over 400 programs from Japan were provided as software feeds to the Master Data Base program. The PRUKANB was a problem. When testing the program I was creating dummy test data. I kept pressure on my supervisor. I needed live data to test the TPS Master Data Base program. What happened is that the programmers in Japan had developed 100's of apps that worked perfectly stand alone. But, when all the component pieces of software were linked together in mainframe JCL (Job Control Language, integration testing) no one could get it to work. JCL is the operating system language that controls the mainframe and executes apps. The deadlines were getting tight an no one was able to make this massive JCL stream work to completion. It was to provide the flat files to feed PRUKANB.

Again, I asked my supervisor for real data. By then IBM had been called in. I overheard one of these IBM consultants bragging about getting paid $???/hour. I kept busy and paid little attention to them. They were there all week, set up their work space in the cafeteria, but nothing productive was happening. I would go down to the cafeteria to review code or have a coding walk-thru with another developer. Over a partition I could hear them talking. One, said "What a nightmare of complexity and confusion, no one could figure this out". Toward the end of the week, I could tell that they were lost. I went to my supervisor and said, "You know this is crunch time, how is it going with getting me live data for testing?" She said, "not good". This JCL stream never completes and it seems that if they fix one error it creates others.

You must appreciate that zOS JCL or MVS JCL is the most complex of all computer languages. This is true because of the polymorphic characteristics of its design. In other words you have to be able to look at this code not from the standpoint of how it appears, but how it will appear at time of execution, with all of the symbolic translations resolved. Below is an example of JCL. It is a simplistic example. I could not find one with a high degree of polymorphism. You can, however, see some of symbolics in the example below. Where ever you see an ampersand (&) this is indicative of a symbolic. Any item in this JCL stream can be set up to be a symbolic. Toyota's TPS JCL stream had 100's of these symbolics. No one was able to keep these 100's of symbolics straight in their head; no one could debug this JCL. Mind you, all the apps worked perfectly stand alone, but would not work together.

My supervisor asked, "Would you take a look at it?" Here is the scenario, my supervisor was at the keyboard. I was standing next to her on the right side. One of the IBM consultants was behind me. Soon about a dozen on-lookers were behind us. It took about 40 minutes to drill down on the JCL. When we came to the end she asked, "Is that it?" I said, "Sure, give it a go". The JCL stream worked perfectly on the first go and the feeds to PRUKANB were established.

Later, I was down in the cafeteria with Deepak for a coding walk thru. Obviously, not knowing I was on the other side, I could hear these consultants talking about me. Deepak and I got silent and listened. The one started talking. He said, "I have been a systems engineer for IBM for over 25 years, but I have never seen anything like that in my life. That guy would point to one line and say change this, move this here, delete this line on and on in 100's of lines of code on the fly as she typed to keep up with him. After he said give it a go, I was waiting for the crash and burn, but it worked". I came from around the partition and said, "I thank you; it is nice to be appreciated". The IBMer got embarrassed. Deepak and I went back upstairs, smiling back and forth at one another.

Then what makes TPS special or different? I have been evasive when describing this software. The reality is that the TPS Master Data Base program is based on my theories related to AI and TPS is the largest and most significant application of AI in the world. Comparing GM's, Ford's or Chrysler's manufacturing software to TPS would be like comparing pong to Virtual Reality.

To the Toyoda family: Toyota is the most advanced manufacturing corporation in the world based on its early use and acceptance of AI through TPS. I may love Chevrolets, but I still miss the Mister Twos. There is really no need to brag about TPS as I cannot see anyone applying AI to manufacturing like Toyota. Toyota has more than a 25-year head start. I'll not recreate another TPS master data base program. Just wanted you to know that I enjoyed working at Toyota, and TPS is the most advanced software ever developed.

What is TPS? Look at a Toyota. Now imagine all of the parts, subassemblies and items needed for its construction. Every bolt, every nut, every piece of wire, all subassemblies, tires, wipers, paint, fabric, sensors and sheet metal. Thousands and thousands of individual pieces and components, that must be acquired from outside of Toyota to manufacture a vehicle. Moreover, to manufacture just one Toyota all of the parts and subassemblies must be at the dock at precisely the exact moment (just-in-time) to then be routed to the area for assembly. What the TPS Master Data Base program does is create virtual cars to be produced before production based on all of its component pieces. In advance of production, it creates a perfect virtual car and then perpetually and dynamically acquires the parts and then provides the conduit and instructions for building it. Thousands of variables are constantly being managed by the software. The software is involved in all aspects of TPS. All components that create a vehicle, including the lead times, contingencies, suppliers, alternative suppliers etc. are a part of TPS. It is a Total Production System and is truly remarkable. Very few corporations have invested in AI, to date. Toyota was working on TPS for more than ten years before I came in.

Toyota is the most advanced manufacturing corporation in the world

based on its early use and acceptance of AI through TPS.

TPS = AI