Jidoka is a Japanese principle and it has two meanings:
Manual line – it allows the operator to stop the line if something goes wrong.
Automated line – it stops the line automatically when the machine detects a defect.
In this case it’s called autonomation or “automation with human intelligence”.
According to the this principles, an operator is empowered to take control and stop the production line if he/she determines that something is wrong. It can be anything:
- a quality problem or alert
- equipment issue
- health and safety concern
- lack or overload of parts
The principle uses four steps:
- Detect the abnormality
- Stop the machine /operation / line
- Correct / fix the current condition
- Seek permanent solution by examining the root cause
