> Don’t order new working materials until your current stocks have been virtually exhausted, so that the slightest delay in filling your order will mean a shutdown.
Did they also employ these sabotage techniques in Japan?
They did everywhere which is why the last 3 years have included massive ongoing cascading supply chain shortages across the world. It's very efficient as long as nothing ever changes too much too quickly which tends to be the case in manufacturing outside a pandemic but is much more rare in software.
The Lean/Deming approach is incredibly different, and I strongly suggest if you'd like to know more to read "Out of the Crisis".
Hilariously enough, lots of the things he says about production workers in factories is almost identical to stuff I see software people say about their jobs, so it's well worth a read.