The Man Driving Toyota from Business Week:
Toyota has grown in the past few years, but [there's a risk] that a belief that the current status is satisfactory creeps into the minds of employees. That’s what I’m worried about.
We should never be satisfied with the current status. In each division, function, or region, we still have numerous problems to cope with. We need to identify each one of those tasks or problems and fully recognize them and pursue the causes. This needs to be done by all the people working for Toyota.
I think, this echoes my recent comment on post, Is Quality Foolproof? (unfortunately the link is broken, so I removed it. Luckily I posted my comments here so they are not gone), on the Vision Thing blog:
I think the instances of such failures are just a sign that even Toyota still has quite a bit to improve. I think this announcement likely is a result of
common cause variation (it is the natural result of the current system). The natural result (of the system) is not that they have this particular failure, but that this recall is consistent with the % of vehicles that required a recall of this general character. I believe they are getting better over time but they still have a long way to go. With a result based on common cause you want to look at the entire system when designing an improvement plan not at the root cause of the seat belt issue. See
Responding to Variation online and the book,
Forth Generation Management, by Brian Joiner.
It is good to see the new Toyota CEO still believes they need to keep keenly focused on continuous improvement.
Simple, but true, point by the new CEO, Katsuaki Watanabe:
Management has to visit the shop floor and gain first-hand experience of what’s taking place. We need to look at the manufacturing processes, listen to voices, and clearly recognize problems.
January 29th, 2007 at 11:53 am
Interesting, 4 minute, segment on Toyota management practices…
July 8th, 2007 at 10:58 pm
“The new manufacturing process at Takaota will completely change the way Toyota makes cars. We call them the “simple, slim, and speedy” production system. Right now our processes are complicated, so when a problem occurs, it is difficult to identify the cause…”
March 5th, 2008 at 4:15 am
Hai,
i have drive your vehicle “Toyoto qualis GS”. It is interesting to drive & travel.It looks like a
king.It has a efficient engine,no need of enginwork till 600000km.Thank you toyoto for such
facilities.
But I cannot understand your idea that producing a new car “Innova” by stoping the production of
“QUALIS”.However, Toyoto is the most interesting & automobile companey to me.
I loves Toyoto.I pleasly suggest that think try to distribute “a cheap coast of high facility” car.
March 30th, 2008 at 9:07 am
I drive a 2006 Sienna. I was very pleased with it for the first year, until I had my first problem with it. Since then, I can find noone willing to help me solve it. The service department at the local dealership with which I frequent just told me what I wanted to hear in order to get my money and not cover the problem under warrenty. It was the SEATBELT for goodness sake! I have 3 children that ride in this daily. Needless to say I am very disappointed, still pursuing a right to this dispicable wrong, and am very unhappy with Toyata. Keep working-definitely don’t settle- you are not where you need to be at all if this is how the company runs. I have tried to seek help outside of our local dealership many times. Both regional and corporate have brushed me off up to this point. It has been 3 1/2 months.