Here's an article that examines if Toyota's quality is slipping or not. This detail was interesting for some perspective on Toyota's evolution from a Japanese company to a global company.
“In the 1980s, each Toyota plant in the US reported to a so-called mother plant in Japan, which mentored them and assisted with problems. Today, the older US Toyota plants oversee the newer ones.
‘Toyota's largest overseas market [the US] eventually has to take responsibility' for building high-quality vehicles without micromanagement, said Jeff Liker, a professor who specialises in studying Toyota.”
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Mark Graban
Mark Graban is an internationally-recognized consultant, author, and professional speaker who has worked in healthcare, manufacturing, and startups. His latest book is Measures of Success: React Less, Lead Better, Improve More. He is author of the Shingo Award-winning books Lean Hospitals and Healthcare Kaizen, as well as The Executive Guide to Healthcare Kaizen. He also published the anthology Practicing Lean that benefits the Louise H. Batz Patient Safety Foundation, where Mark is a board member. Mark is also a Senior Advisor to the technology company KaiNexus.
No matter what the cause, it does serve them well to sacrifice the “artifical” first place, over the very real safety problems.