Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

Frank George Woollard: forgotten pioneer of flow production

Frank George Woollard: forgotten pioneer of flow production Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce management historians to the long‐forgotten work of Frank George Woollard (1883‐1957), who in the mid‐1920s established flow production in the British motor industry, and its remarkable similarity to current‐day production principles and practices used by Toyota Motor Corporation, also known as lean production. Design/methodology/approach – Overview of Frank Woollard's life and work obtained from newly discovered journal papers, his 1954 book, Principles of Mass and Flow Production , newly discovered archives, and new first‐hand testimony from a close friend and from a long‐time family friend. Findings – Frank Woollard was a pioneer in the establishment of flow production in the British motor industry in the mid‐1920s and the principal developer of automatic transfer machinery. His accomplishments are comparable to Taiichi Ohno, regarded as the architect of Toyota's production system. Research limitations/implications – Woollard's accomplishments in flow production are a fruitful area for future research given the speed and completeness with which flow production was established at Morris Motors Ltd, Engines Branch. Newly discovered papers describing his flow production system have yet to be studied in detail by academics. Practical implications – Woollard's application of flow production beginning in 1923 means that timelines for discoveries and attributions of key accomplishments in lean management must be reexamined and revised. Originality/value – Woollard's work fills important gaps in the literature on the history of flow production generally and in the British motor industry in particular. His work constitutes an early application of current‐day lean principles and practices, and is therefore noteworthy and relevant to management historians and the operations and production management community. It is hoped that this paper will inspire management historians to study Woollard's work and place him in the context of other early twentieth‐century pioneers in industrial management and flow production. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Management History Emerald Publishing

Frank George Woollard: forgotten pioneer of flow production

M.L. Emiliani; P.J. Seymour
Journal of Management History , Volume 17 (1): 22 – Jan 11, 2011
Download PDF
22 pages

Loading next page...
 
/lp/emerald-publishing/frank-george-woollard-forgotten-pioneer-of-flow-production-d3fAaYTPP0
Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © 2011 Emerald Group Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.
ISSN
1751-1348
DOI
10.1108/17511341111099538
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce management historians to the long‐forgotten work of Frank George Woollard (1883‐1957), who in the mid‐1920s established flow production in the British motor industry, and its remarkable similarity to current‐day production principles and practices used by Toyota Motor Corporation, also known as lean production. Design/methodology/approach – Overview of Frank Woollard's life and work obtained from newly discovered journal papers, his 1954 book, Principles of Mass and Flow Production , newly discovered archives, and new first‐hand testimony from a close friend and from a long‐time family friend. Findings – Frank Woollard was a pioneer in the establishment of flow production in the British motor industry in the mid‐1920s and the principal developer of automatic transfer machinery. His accomplishments are comparable to Taiichi Ohno, regarded as the architect of Toyota's production system. Research limitations/implications – Woollard's accomplishments in flow production are a fruitful area for future research given the speed and completeness with which flow production was established at Morris Motors Ltd, Engines Branch. Newly discovered papers describing his flow production system have yet to be studied in detail by academics. Practical implications – Woollard's application of flow production beginning in 1923 means that timelines for discoveries and attributions of key accomplishments in lean management must be reexamined and revised. Originality/value – Woollard's work fills important gaps in the literature on the history of flow production generally and in the British motor industry in particular. His work constitutes an early application of current‐day lean principles and practices, and is therefore noteworthy and relevant to management historians and the operations and production management community. It is hoped that this paper will inspire management historians to study Woollard's work and place him in the context of other early twentieth‐century pioneers in industrial management and flow production.

Journal

Journal of Management History – Emerald Publishing

Published: Jan 11, 2011

Keywords: United Kingdom; Automotive industry; Flow production; Lean production; Economic history

References

  • The Life of Lord Nuffield: A Study in Enterprise and Benevolence
    Andrews, P.; Brunner, E.
  • ‘Mr F.G. Woollard,’ obituary
    Anonymous
  • Obituary: Frank G. Woollard, M.B.E.
    Anonymous
  • Ford Methods and the Ford Shops
    Arnold, H.; Faurote, F.