Comments on: Learn from Toyota…the good and the bad http://blog.kinaxis.com/2010/02/learn-from-toyota-the-good-and-the-bad/ Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:48:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Tony Harris http://blog.kinaxis.com/2010/02/learn-from-toyota-the-good-and-the-bad/comment-page-1/#comment-6402 Tony Harris Tue, 16 Mar 2010 01:04:29 +0000 http://blog.kinaxis.com/?p=2865#comment-6402 The issues that have hit Toyota have undoubtedly caused much embarrassment if not pain at the very top of the company. Even more disturbing rumors circulate that defects were known internally in the company prior to the public media disclosures. Toyota has become the role model for efficiency under the title of "Lean", besides which the reliability of it products enjoy legendary reognition. All of which leaves one supposing that corrective measures have been implemented. However the nub of the issue lies in the challenge of what to do when there are defective products in the market. When safety is an issue there is the clearly an urgency, irrespective of cost or reputation. What this sad event highlights is the need for all manufacturers to review their containment process. The issues that have hit Toyota have undoubtedly caused much embarrassment if not pain at the very top of the company. Even more disturbing rumors circulate that defects were known internally in the company prior to the public media disclosures.

Toyota has become the role model for efficiency under the title of “Lean”, besides which the reliability of it products enjoy legendary reognition. All of which leaves one supposing that corrective measures have been implemented. However the nub of the issue lies in the challenge of what to do when there are defective products in the market.
When safety is an issue there is the clearly an urgency, irrespective of cost or reputation.
What this sad event highlights is the need for all manufacturers to review their containment process.

]]> By: Recall Dave http://blog.kinaxis.com/2010/02/learn-from-toyota-the-good-and-the-bad/comment-page-1/#comment-6139 Recall Dave Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:01:11 +0000 http://blog.kinaxis.com/?p=2865#comment-6139 Do you think Toyota will do good with the congressional hearings? These recalls are killing them. Seen the stock after the recalls? Also people like http://www.americanjobadvocate.com are not doing them any good Do you think Toyota will do good with the congressional hearings? These recalls are killing them. Seen the stock after the recalls? Also people like http://www.americanjobadvocate.com are not doing them any good

]]> By: Laure Vadon http://blog.kinaxis.com/2010/02/learn-from-toyota-the-good-and-the-bad/comment-page-1/#comment-6131 Laure Vadon Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:33:12 +0000 http://blog.kinaxis.com/?p=2865#comment-6131 Hi John, I had the same teaching as yours at colledge, and now I teach myself these principles in my Inventory Management and Supply Chain Management classes. I really need to understand, what went wrong with the Toyota Production System. Is it the fact of lowering expenses as much as possible that finally drove the quality down? I would be very interested by the testimony of a Toyota person on that aspect. Thanks in advance! Hi John,
I had the same teaching as yours at colledge, and now I teach myself these principles in my Inventory Management and Supply Chain Management classes. I really need to understand, what went wrong with the Toyota Production System. Is it the fact of lowering expenses as much as possible that finally drove the quality down? I would be very interested by the testimony of a Toyota person on that aspect.
Thanks in advance!

]]> By: Ron Freiberg http://blog.kinaxis.com/2010/02/learn-from-toyota-the-good-and-the-bad/comment-page-1/#comment-6128 Ron Freiberg Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:21:11 +0000 http://blog.kinaxis.com/?p=2865#comment-6128 My first suggestion is that we may be premature in condemning Toyota's quality system, specifically when segregating it from Toyota's engineering system, supply chain system or manufacturing system. As of today there are many experts in academia who are suggesting that Toyota's problems are not caused by sticking pedals or floor mats and that the real problem runs much deeper in electrical systems. I think we have to wait and see what really boils out in the end. Maybe all these dealers are fixing the wrong root cause in an effort to buy time, we don't really know. Additionally as in many companies good quality is as the print or specification says, i.e. if engineering says a part or system should look and perform in a specific fashion, it fits with it's mating parts and works as prescribed on the assembly line, it is considered acceptable quality, hence this whole scenario more than likely and splitting hairs is a (quality of engineering design) issue not a quality of part or supply chain issue in the truest sense. I would also suggest that it comes down to the magnitude of the fix as far as how easy it is for a company to manage the chain of events required to affect the fix. It is fairly easy to come up with and distribute 8 million minor shims etc. to fix a problem, it's quite another to redesign a whole new ECM, get prototypes, do long term testing and build and distribute 8 million of those to dealers. I don't think we have heard the end of this story yet; we need to get there before we can suggest which system failed at Toyota and whether the fix was done in an efficient fashion. My first suggestion is that we may be premature in condemning Toyota’s quality system, specifically when segregating it from Toyota’s engineering system, supply chain system or manufacturing system. As of today there are many experts in academia who are suggesting that Toyota’s problems are not caused by sticking pedals or floor mats and that the real problem runs much deeper in electrical systems. I think we have to wait and see what really boils out in the end. Maybe all these dealers are fixing the wrong root cause in an effort to buy time, we don’t really know. Additionally as in many companies good quality is as the print or specification says, i.e. if engineering says a part or system should look and perform in a specific fashion, it fits with it’s mating parts and works as prescribed on the assembly line, it is considered acceptable quality, hence this whole scenario more than likely and splitting hairs is a (quality of engineering design) issue not a quality of part or supply chain issue in the truest sense.

I would also suggest that it comes down to the magnitude of the fix as far as how easy it is for a company to manage the chain of events required to affect the fix. It is fairly easy to come up with and distribute 8 million minor shims etc. to fix a problem, it’s quite another to redesign a whole new ECM, get prototypes, do long term testing and build and distribute 8 million of those to dealers.

I don’t think we have heard the end of this story yet; we need to get there before we can suggest which system failed at Toyota and whether the fix was done in an efficient fashion.

]]> By: Scott Thomas http://blog.kinaxis.com/2010/02/learn-from-toyota-the-good-and-the-bad/comment-page-1/#comment-6117 Scott Thomas Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:06:36 +0000 http://blog.kinaxis.com/?p=2865#comment-6117 Toyota & Honda dropped the ball on handling the recalls , they should have came forward with a full disclosure. Instead of waiting for a huge media blitz and tons of public pressure. But Toyota & Honda are not alone , I never seen so many car companies having recalls all at the same time. I had no idea my car which is not even a Toyota or Honda, was affected until I searched on http://www.carpedalrecall.com and found I had a bad Anti Lock control unit on my 2008 Pontiac G8 , So be careful check daily, it seems more and more cars are being recalled . Toyota & Honda dropped the ball on handling the recalls , they should have came forward with a full disclosure. Instead of waiting for a huge media blitz and tons of public pressure. But Toyota & Honda are not alone , I never seen so many car companies having recalls all at the same time. I had no idea my car which is not even a Toyota or Honda, was affected until I searched on http://www.carpedalrecall.com and found I had a bad Anti Lock control unit on my 2008 Pontiac G8 , So be careful check daily, it seems more and more cars are being recalled .

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