◆ Critical performance indicator boards were developed and the role
of group leaders in TPS more clearly defined. This was accompa-
nied by internal group leader training.
There were so many changes occurring all over the Georgetown site
to meet these aggressive targets that it’s hard to do justice to the
magnitude of the improvement effort. Each improvement project
used the same rigorous problem-solving approach, with specific
measurable objectives to achieve the goals set at the next level up
in the hoshin kanri. Here are a few examples:
◆ A large project was initiated to systematically work through the
problems identified in the J.D. Power initial quality survey for
the Camry and to implement countermeasures. The initial quality
survey counted things gone wrong in six areas of the vehicle
(chassis/transmission, engine/brakes, features and controls, body
exterior/exterior paint, body interior). Six cross-functional “customer
satisfaction teams” were established for these areas, each with a
management-level lead for daily activities and a high-level “executive
champion” to address external support. A visual management bay
was set up on the shop floor to display information and hold weekly
30-minute stand-up meetings.
Each of the six areas has a portion of the wall to display information
and project status. J.D. Power publishes results twice per year, and
companies can get in-depth versions of the study comparing them-
selves to other companies. Toyota paid for an additional level, which
gives monthly customer survey data, including verbatim descrip-
tions of the problem and the actual Vehicle Identification Numbers
of problem cars. The complete problem-solving process described in
this section was followed from the problem definition to identifying
alternative solutions to developing detailed action plans with what,
who, and when. All of this was on the storyboards.
As an example, a detailed investigation of a steering pull problem
led to some significant reengineering, while a quicker problem
involved the keyless entry system, because people found it to easy
to push the trunk release button unintentionally. Many of these
problems cut across the company, involving corporate quality,
product development, suppliers, and engineering in Japan, since
there are Camry models for Europe and Japan. Georgetown took
a leadership role coordinating all the activity, since they are the
last line of attack and build the cars customers experience.
◆ In final assembly, benchmarking versus Tsutsumi revealed a large
gap in labor costs of $187 per vehicle. A large project process,
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