It’s been long rumored, but is now confirmed by Toyota that they are going to stop production at their ground breaking NUMMI plant in Fremont, CA. Toyota will move production to other plants, BusinessWeek reports. It is a sad day,…
Toyota to end output at GM jv plant in March: report | Reuters The WSJ reports that Toyota is going to decide by the end of August. Even with sales picking up, this data point doesn’t look good: Toyota’s North…
Report: Toyota to liquidate its stake in Fremont’s NUMMI plant – San Jose Mercury News Toyota has not confirmed, but reports say NUMMI will be over after a 25 year run. Toyota Motor Corp. has decided it will dissolve its…
I’m sure anybody who has done any work with Lean has heard these words said in one form or another, often prefaced with a “You don’t understand…” We’re different. Diff’rent (it’s fun to spell that way, like the old show…
I’ve complained about this before, it hardly fazes me any more when the media say that GM is going to be “leaner” in the future. Of course, Lean Thinkers realize they mean “smaller” not “more lean” in the sense of…
After 25 years, GM ditches NUMMI tie-up with Toyota In the news this afternoon: PRESS RELEASE: 2009-06-29 GM Media Statement Regarding GM’s Ownership Stake in NUMMI Attributable to Troy Clarke, president, GM North America “As part of its long-term viability…
Whistleblower says defects hidden at Toyota-GM Calif. plant Ironically enough, while on the topic of not counting defects (the TSA), this disturbing story was in the Detroit News today. A 23-year employee, a quality inspector, has filed a lawsuit claiming…
Lean Insider – Toyota Shifting Production to Lower Labor Costs? It Could Happen The Lean Insider blog poses an interesting question…. is it keeping with the “respect for people” principle of the Toyota Production System if Toyota wants to move…
Worker productivity weaker than first thought | Reuters.com I heard this phase listening to Marketplace on the way home, I’ve heard it many times in the economic reports, but it struck me today…. “worker productivity.” I know I read too…
SI.com – Writers – The Bonus: Bobby Valentine’s Super Terrific Happy Hour As a lifelong baseball fan (especially as a kid), I found the above article interesting when I saw it yesterday. It’s about former Rangers and Mets manager Bobby…
tl;dr: The andon cord isn’t a tool–it’s a trust signal. Toyota’s thousands of line stops reflect psychological safety and leadership support. Ford’s rare pulls reflected fear and mistrust. Lean succeeds or fails on culture, not mechanics. In 2007, a BBC…
Why Toyota Is Afraid Of Being Number One In this Business Week piece about Toyota’s fear of a backlash against them, with their continued success, there was this tidbit I found interesting: “That same year [as NUMMI opened], a Ron…
