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The triumph of lean production by Steve Schifferes
In contrast, workers at Ford’s brand-new truck plant in Dearborn, Michigan, pull the cord only twice a week
Just think about that Toyota’s Georgetown plant (seen by many as one of the best examples of lean manufacturing) stops the line 2,000 a week. Do you think your organizations systems are as well designed as the Georgetown plant? Does your organization stop to examine what needs to be improved with anything approaching that level (granted Georgetown is large but even so…)?
Related: Andon definition - Jidoka definition - Ford and Managing the Supplier Relationship - The Georgetown Kentucky Way - Toyota’s New Texas Plant
As a result, many suppliers like Delphi plan to shift much of their production out of the US, to Mexico or East Asia, where labour costs are lower. According to Stephen D’Arcy of PricewaterhouseCoopers, China will eventually become the preferred location for most suppliers - once they can meet local needs.
Where does that guess come from? Thinking Toyota’s gain in market share was a fluke and GM’s management style will win out and then all GM’s cars will be created with Chinese supplied parts? Unlikely. In one sense, I do think there will be a great increase in car parts manufactured in China. What? Those parts needed for the Chinese car market.
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