Comments on: Toyota Goes Big… http://www.leanblog.org/2007/01/toyota-goes-big/ Mark Graban's leanblog.org - Lean Healthcare, Lean Thinking, Lean Manufacturing, Toyota Production System Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:40:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Dan Markovitz http://www.leanblog.org/2007/01/toyota-goes-big/#comment-1463 Dan Markovitz Mon, 08 Jan 2007 22:21:00 +0000 http://leanblog.bigbigdesign.net/2007/01/toyota-goes-big/#comment-1463 I believe that one reason Toyota wants to emphasize the home-grown component aspect of their vehicles is to forestall political/PR backlash against a foreign company. Yes, Toyota employs American workers, and yes, they contribute to the economies in which their plants are located. But that may not be enough when the Big Three are going down the tubes.<br /><br />Today's Wall Street Journal reports that "Toyota Motor Corp. faces pressure to further ramp up North American production from its own internal targets as it looks for ways to counteract potential political backlash stemming from the U.S. Big Three's woes." <br /><br />The article further comments that "Toyota has been mounting a multimillion-dollar ad campaign stressing how "American" it has become here. In magazine ads and on its Web pages featuring American employees in production, sales and product development, the company touts "commitment to investing in the communities where we do business" and the number of jobs it has created: It directly employs more than 32,000 Americans, and its dealer and parts suppliers have helped create an additional 386,000 jobs in the U.S."<br /><br />I suspect that Toyota move to co-location of supplier parts is driven by cost considerations, logistics challenges, and PR needs. But the key point for me is that Toyota is doing something about the status quo, rather than complaining about it. I believe that one reason Toyota wants to emphasize the home-grown component aspect of their vehicles is to forestall political/PR backlash against a foreign company. Yes, Toyota employs American workers, and yes, they contribute to the economies in which their plants are located. But that may not be enough when the Big Three are going down the tubes.

Today’s Wall Street Journal reports that “Toyota Motor Corp. faces pressure to further ramp up North American production from its own internal targets as it looks for ways to counteract potential political backlash stemming from the U.S. Big Three’s woes.”

The article further comments that “Toyota has been mounting a multimillion-dollar ad campaign stressing how “American” it has become here. In magazine ads and on its Web pages featuring American employees in production, sales and product development, the company touts “commitment to investing in the communities where we do business” and the number of jobs it has created: It directly employs more than 32,000 Americans, and its dealer and parts suppliers have helped create an additional 386,000 jobs in the U.S.”

I suspect that Toyota move to co-location of supplier parts is driven by cost considerations, logistics challenges, and PR needs. But the key point for me is that Toyota is doing something about the status quo, rather than complaining about it.

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