The history of lean manufacturing has roots in the American industrial revolution and, subsequently, Henry Ford’s famous assembly line. But the process improvements made much later by Toyota created the model. The Japanese automaker expanded on Ford’s ideas by producing more with existing resources, focusing on teamwork and eliminating non-value added activities. Lean manufacturing came full circle in the 1980s, as struggling U.S. automakers took notice of Toyota’s rapid efficiency increases and imported its ideas back to the U.S., although with inconsistent dedication.