Frank George Woollard
Encyclopedia
Frank George Woollard MBE
(22 September 1883 - 22 December 1957), was a British mechanical engineer who worked for nearly three decades in the British motor industry in various roles in design, production, and management. He was a pioneer in what is today called "Lean management," but whose work has been forgotten.
(MBE) for his work on in improving the design and production of tank gearboxes, which had been the bottleneck in tank production during World War I. Woollard’s innovative work at Morris Motors Ltd.
, Engines Branch
(Coventry), beginning in 1923, enabled Morris Motors Ltd. to grow rapidly and achieve a commanding 34 percent domestic market share by 1930.
Born in London, England, his father George was a butler and his mother Emily (Powell) was a kitchen maid. Woollard was educated at City of London School where he excelled in mathematics and science. In 1914, Woollard married Catherine Elizabeth Richards, and they gave birth to a son who died in infancy and daughter Joan Elizabeth on 25 September 1916. Miss Joan Woollard died on 30 January 2008.
, Woollard apprenticed for five years as a mechanical engineer at the London and South Western Railway
starting in 1899. His first experience with a basic form of flow production
was in the manufacture of railway coaches in 1904. Around 1905 he entered the British automotive industry as an auto parts designer. In 1910 he joined EG Wrigley and Company
, Birmingham, a maker of gear boxes, axles, and steering components for various British automobile companies, as chief draftsman, then in 1914 Woollard assumed responsibilities as production engineer. He re-organized production from batch to a simple form of flow to meet increased in orders for vehicle components.
William Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield
, who was the founder and owner of Morris Motors, Ltd., became acquainted with Woollard when he worked at E.G. Wrigley. Morris recognized Woollard’s talents in automobile parts design and production and named him general manager of Morris Engines Ltd. in January 1923. Woollard, with William Morris’s encouragement and financial backing, immediately led the re-organization of engine production from batch to flow, increasing output from less than 300 units per week in January 1923, to 600 units per week by December 1923, and to 1200 units by December 1924. To achieve this remarkable increase in output, Woollard developed an advanced flow production system for low volume production.
The major changes in production system design took place quickly, over a period of less than two years. In comparison, reorganization of Toyota’s engine shop, some 25 years later in the 1950s, took six years – and at half the production volume of Morris Motors.
Woollard’s flow production system was remarkably similar to current-day Lean production, and utilized most features of today’s Lean production system methods and processes. This included (using current terminology): U-shaped cells, multi-skilled workers, takt time, standardized work, Just-In-Time, supermarkets, autonomation, quick change-over, etc.
As a result, Woollard was able to prove, prior to Toyota, that achieving flow in lower volume production resulted in costs that were as low or lower than that which could be achieved by Ford’s large scale production system.
He was also the first to develop mechanical materials handling equipment known as automatic transfer machines to facilitate flow production, which some 25 years later would become common in the global automotive industry. Overall, Woollard’s contribution to progressive manufacturing management practices is substantial and comparable to Taiichi Ohno
at Toyota. He was a great early 20th century pioneer in progressive management, flow production, and industrial automation.
is credited with creating Just-in-Time (JIT) production in 1937, while Taiichi Ohno
is credited with inventing “supermarkets” in 1953 to supply downstream processes. These innovations were established and used in flow production by Woollard between 1923 and 1925. Other innovations, such as autonomation, appear to have been discovered independently by Sakichi Toyoda
and Frank Woollard.
Woollard’s work is important because he was not a technocrat solely interested in using new machines to replace men and increase productive output. He warned people that flow is the objective, and machinery can be helpful but is not necessary to achieve it. He also warned against falling in love with machinery for its own sake.
Woollard viewed factory workers as part of the production system, not separate from it, and gave them responsibilities that would have normally be handled by supervisors. He also allowed workers to participate in efforts to improve production processes which was innovative for its time, but was rudimentary and more limited compared to Toyota’s systematic development of workers capabilities post-World War II. Further, Woollard understood that achieving flow in production activities alone was not enough; management and workers must work to connect all processes, from beginning to end, to achieve flow throughout the enterprise.
Woollard clearly understood the idea and practice of continuous improvement in a flow environment, saying: “the virtue of flow production lies in the fact that it brings all inconsistencies into the light of day and so provides the opportunity for correcting them,” and “[the] high visibility conferred on the company’s activities by flow production will lead to unceasing and continuous improvement” (Woollard, 1954, p. 87).
Additionally, Woollard understood that to achieve flow production, management practice had to be non-zero-sum, meaning that workers had to be respected and also benefit from flow production, in addition to customers. He recognized that in order for flow to exist, the interests of key stakeholders cannot be marginalized. Flow must cause no harm; if it does, then material and information will not flow. Woollard understood and practiced what today we call “Continuous Improvement” and “Respect for People” – the two principles of Lean management, and embodied them in his 18 principles of flow production (Woollard, 1954, p. 51).
Woollard’s work in flow production in the mid-to-late 1920s pre-dates Kiichiro Toyoda’s interest in flow production by nearly 15 years. It is notable that Woollard’s work was well publicized in technical automotive production and engineering journals. Papers written by Woollard and William Morris showed their strong desire to share the details of their innovative continuous flow production system with others and to showcase British industrial prowess. Their work was no secret and was readily available to anyone interested in learning about advanced automobile production methods.
Woollard is the forgotten pioneer of Lean management. His work is completely missing from the Lean management literature and highlights a significant failure on the part of both Lean management researchers and production and operations management researchers.
Woollard died in late 1957, and so did his life’s work. His daughter Joan was an accomplished artist and apparently did not have the capability to keep her father’s work alive. Woollard’s colleagues had tremendous admiration for him and his accomplishments, but they would eventually pass away and nobody carried his work forward until recently.
Woollard’s work has been revived by Lean management historian and author Professor Bob Emiliani. In January 2009 he published a 55th Anniversary Special Edition of Woollard’s 1954 book, Principles of Mass and Flow Production, which also includes his 1925 paper “Some Notes on British Methods of Continuous Production” and commentary and analysis of Woollard’s work by Dr. Emiliani.
Morris Motors Ltd. ceased to exist in 1952 when it merged with Austin Motor Company, Ltd. to form British Motor Corporation. Unfortunately, innovations in production methods and machinery are not sufficient to ensure long-term company success. Managers and employees must excel at many other business processes including responding to the voice of the customer with new designs, short cycle-time product development, introducing new automotive technologies, aftermarket service, and so on. An advanced production system alone will not make a company successful long-term.
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
(22 September 1883 - 22 December 1957), was a British mechanical engineer who worked for nearly three decades in the British motor industry in various roles in design, production, and management. He was a pioneer in what is today called "Lean management," but whose work has been forgotten.
Biography
Woollard is regarded as one of the fathers of the British motor industry for his major contributions to flow production, progressive management practices, and industrial automation. In 1918, Woollard was awarded Member of Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(MBE) for his work on in improving the design and production of tank gearboxes, which had been the bottleneck in tank production during World War I. Woollard’s innovative work at Morris Motors Ltd.
Morris Motor Company
The Morris Motor Company was a British car manufacturing company. After the incorporation of the company into larger corporations, the Morris name remained in use as a marque until 1984 when British Leyland's Austin Rover Group decided to concentrate on the more popular Austin marque...
, Engines Branch
Morris Engines
Morris Engines, the factory of Morris Motors Ltd., Engines Branch was located in Coventry, England. The company specialised in the mass production of engines and gearboxes, for fitment into vehicles made by the Nuffield Organisation...
(Coventry), beginning in 1923, enabled Morris Motors Ltd. to grow rapidly and achieve a commanding 34 percent domestic market share by 1930.
Born in London, England, his father George was a butler and his mother Emily (Powell) was a kitchen maid. Woollard was educated at City of London School where he excelled in mathematics and science. In 1914, Woollard married Catherine Elizabeth Richards, and they gave birth to a son who died in infancy and daughter Joan Elizabeth on 25 September 1916. Miss Joan Woollard died on 30 January 2008.
Professional career
Upon completing his education at City of London SchoolCity of London School
The City of London School is a boys' independent day school on the banks of the River Thames in the City of London, England. It is the brother school of the City of London School for Girls and the co-educational City of London Freemen's School...
, Woollard apprenticed for five years as a mechanical engineer at the London and South Western Railway
London and South Western Railway
The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...
starting in 1899. His first experience with a basic form of flow production
Mass production
Mass production is the production of large amounts of standardized products, including and especially on assembly lines...
was in the manufacture of railway coaches in 1904. Around 1905 he entered the British automotive industry as an auto parts designer. In 1910 he joined EG Wrigley and Company
EG Wrigley and Company
EG Wrigley and Company Ltd. was a British car, car component, and mechanical parts manufacturer, located at Foundry Lane, Soho, Birmingham.Edward Greenwood Wrigley established a tool making business at 232 Aston Road, Birmingham in 1898. EG Wrigley and Company moved to Foundry lane, Soho,...
, Birmingham, a maker of gear boxes, axles, and steering components for various British automobile companies, as chief draftsman, then in 1914 Woollard assumed responsibilities as production engineer. He re-organized production from batch to a simple form of flow to meet increased in orders for vehicle components.
William Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield
William Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield
William Richard Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield GBE, CH , known as Sir William Morris, Bt, between 1929 and 1934 and as The Lord Nuffield between 1934 and 1938, was a British motor manufacturer and philanthropist...
, who was the founder and owner of Morris Motors, Ltd., became acquainted with Woollard when he worked at E.G. Wrigley. Morris recognized Woollard’s talents in automobile parts design and production and named him general manager of Morris Engines Ltd. in January 1923. Woollard, with William Morris’s encouragement and financial backing, immediately led the re-organization of engine production from batch to flow, increasing output from less than 300 units per week in January 1923, to 600 units per week by December 1923, and to 1200 units by December 1924. To achieve this remarkable increase in output, Woollard developed an advanced flow production system for low volume production.
The major changes in production system design took place quickly, over a period of less than two years. In comparison, reorganization of Toyota’s engine shop, some 25 years later in the 1950s, took six years – and at half the production volume of Morris Motors.
Woollard’s flow production system was remarkably similar to current-day Lean production, and utilized most features of today’s Lean production system methods and processes. This included (using current terminology): U-shaped cells, multi-skilled workers, takt time, standardized work, Just-In-Time, supermarkets, autonomation, quick change-over, etc.
As a result, Woollard was able to prove, prior to Toyota, that achieving flow in lower volume production resulted in costs that were as low or lower than that which could be achieved by Ford’s large scale production system.
He was also the first to develop mechanical materials handling equipment known as automatic transfer machines to facilitate flow production, which some 25 years later would become common in the global automotive industry. Overall, Woollard’s contribution to progressive manufacturing management practices is substantial and comparable to Taiichi Ohno
Taiichi Ohno
was a prominent Japanese businessman. He is considered to be the father of the Toyota Production System, which became Lean Manufacturing in the U.S. He devised the seven wastes as part of this system. He wrote several books about the system, including Toyota Production System: Beyond Large-Scale...
at Toyota. He was a great early 20th century pioneer in progressive management, flow production, and industrial automation.
Significance of Woollard’s Work
Woollard’s application of flow production beginning in 1923 means that timelines for discoveries and attributions of key accomplishments in Lean management must be revised. For example, Kiichiro ToyodaKiichiro Toyoda
was a Japanese entrepreneur and the son of Toyoda Loom Works founder Sakichi Toyoda. His decision to take Toyoda Loom Works into automobile manufacturing would create what would eventually become Toyota Motor Corporation, the world's largest automobile manufacturer....
is credited with creating Just-in-Time (JIT) production in 1937, while Taiichi Ohno
Taiichi Ohno
was a prominent Japanese businessman. He is considered to be the father of the Toyota Production System, which became Lean Manufacturing in the U.S. He devised the seven wastes as part of this system. He wrote several books about the system, including Toyota Production System: Beyond Large-Scale...
is credited with inventing “supermarkets” in 1953 to supply downstream processes. These innovations were established and used in flow production by Woollard between 1923 and 1925. Other innovations, such as autonomation, appear to have been discovered independently by Sakichi Toyoda
Sakichi Toyoda
was a Japanese inventor and industrialist. He was born in Kosai, Shizuoka. The son of a poor carpenter, Toyoda is referred to as the "King of Japanese Inventors".- Career :...
and Frank Woollard.
Woollard’s work is important because he was not a technocrat solely interested in using new machines to replace men and increase productive output. He warned people that flow is the objective, and machinery can be helpful but is not necessary to achieve it. He also warned against falling in love with machinery for its own sake.
Woollard viewed factory workers as part of the production system, not separate from it, and gave them responsibilities that would have normally be handled by supervisors. He also allowed workers to participate in efforts to improve production processes which was innovative for its time, but was rudimentary and more limited compared to Toyota’s systematic development of workers capabilities post-World War II. Further, Woollard understood that achieving flow in production activities alone was not enough; management and workers must work to connect all processes, from beginning to end, to achieve flow throughout the enterprise.
Woollard clearly understood the idea and practice of continuous improvement in a flow environment, saying: “the virtue of flow production lies in the fact that it brings all inconsistencies into the light of day and so provides the opportunity for correcting them,” and “[the] high visibility conferred on the company’s activities by flow production will lead to unceasing and continuous improvement” (Woollard, 1954, p. 87).
Additionally, Woollard understood that to achieve flow production, management practice had to be non-zero-sum, meaning that workers had to be respected and also benefit from flow production, in addition to customers. He recognized that in order for flow to exist, the interests of key stakeholders cannot be marginalized. Flow must cause no harm; if it does, then material and information will not flow. Woollard understood and practiced what today we call “Continuous Improvement” and “Respect for People” – the two principles of Lean management, and embodied them in his 18 principles of flow production (Woollard, 1954, p. 51).
Woollard’s work in flow production in the mid-to-late 1920s pre-dates Kiichiro Toyoda’s interest in flow production by nearly 15 years. It is notable that Woollard’s work was well publicized in technical automotive production and engineering journals. Papers written by Woollard and William Morris showed their strong desire to share the details of their innovative continuous flow production system with others and to showcase British industrial prowess. Their work was no secret and was readily available to anyone interested in learning about advanced automobile production methods.
Woollard’s Legacy
Woollard wrote numerous journal papers and trade magazine articles on his flow production system in the mid-1920 and into the late 1940s and mid-1950s. His detailed technical papers were published in a widely-read journal called Machinery. Those papers, as well as his 1954 book, Principles of Mass and Flow Production, fell into obscurity for reasons that are not at all clear.Woollard is the forgotten pioneer of Lean management. His work is completely missing from the Lean management literature and highlights a significant failure on the part of both Lean management researchers and production and operations management researchers.
Woollard died in late 1957, and so did his life’s work. His daughter Joan was an accomplished artist and apparently did not have the capability to keep her father’s work alive. Woollard’s colleagues had tremendous admiration for him and his accomplishments, but they would eventually pass away and nobody carried his work forward until recently.
Woollard’s work has been revived by Lean management historian and author Professor Bob Emiliani. In January 2009 he published a 55th Anniversary Special Edition of Woollard’s 1954 book, Principles of Mass and Flow Production, which also includes his 1925 paper “Some Notes on British Methods of Continuous Production” and commentary and analysis of Woollard’s work by Dr. Emiliani.
Morris Motors Ltd. ceased to exist in 1952 when it merged with Austin Motor Company, Ltd. to form British Motor Corporation. Unfortunately, innovations in production methods and machinery are not sufficient to ensure long-term company success. Managers and employees must excel at many other business processes including responding to the voice of the customer with new designs, short cycle-time product development, introducing new automotive technologies, aftermarket service, and so on. An advanced production system alone will not make a company successful long-term.
External links
- Principles of Mass and Flow Production, 55th Anniversary Special Reprint Edition, 2009 http://www.bobemiliani.com/b10pmfp.html
- Podcast by Prof. Bob Emiliani on the life and work of Frank Woollard http://www.bobemiliani.com/audio/77_LeanBlog_Podcast_BobEmiliani_Oct22_2009.mp3
- Prof. Bob Emiliani, Central Connecticut State University http://www.ccsu.edu/page.cfm?p=6554&viewdirid=2819&