Walk into a good factory and you don’t need to ask questions.
You can see:
🔧 What job is running
📦 What’s pending for dispatch
🚨 What’s gone wrong — and who’s fixing it
Toyota calls it:
“Making problems visible, so they can’t be ignored.”
We call it:
Don’t shout. Don’t guess. Just show.
What Is Visual Management?
It’s not posters or stickers.
It’s about making information visible — where the work happens, when it’s needed.
A visual factory:
Shows machine status without asking the operator
Displays daily plan and actual progress side-by-side
Highlights rejections and delays with zero blame
Good visuals don’t decorate.
They guide decisions.
Real Example #1 – Rajkot CNC Shop Reduced Missed Dispatches
This shop was missing 2–3 dispatches every month.
Why? Because no one knew which jobs were urgent, and which were not.
Fix:
Used red, yellow, green job cards by urgency
Added dispatch date on every in-process tray
Supervisor could now re-allocate machines fast
Result:
Missed dispatches dropped by 80%
Team coordination improved — no need to escalate every job
Real Example #2 – Tool Replacements Doubled After Visual Shelf
In a Pune unit, broken or worn tools were thrown into a common tray.
So some jobs ran with blunt inserts — because no one noticed.
Fix:
Introduced “Used / Replaced Today” tool shelf
Operators placed worn tools visibly — and initialed it
Purchases monitored which tools repeated often
Result:
Visibility led to action
Tool life issues dropped
Replacements were tracked, not just guessed
Why Buyers Should Care
Without Visual Management:
❌ Delays hide until it’s too late
❌ Rejections repeat — because causes aren’t logged
❌ Production feels busy, but nothing flows
With Visual Management:
✅ You see status in real-time
✅ Problems are exposed — not hidden
✅ Planning and execution stay aligned
The best shops don’t look complicated.
They look clear.
What TheSupplier Checks
When we audit suppliers, we ask:
Is today’s plan visible to the team?
Are machines running jobs that match the plan board?
Can any operator show where WIP is and what comes next?
Are quality issues logged visually — not hidden in notebooks?
We don’t just trust what they say.
We trust what we can see.
📣 Want Suppliers Who Show You the Truth — Without Being Asked?
👉 See Our Supplier Evaluation Method
📎 Upload RFQ
💬 Question for You
What’s one visual signal you wish your supplier used — but never does?
👇 Tell us in the comments — it might fix your next delay.
📚 References
Toyota Production System: https://global.toyota/en/company/vision-and-philosophy/production-system/
TheSupplier shop audit notes (2023–2024)
“The Toyota Way” – Jeffrey K. Liker
