Toyota and The Human Factor

Toyota and The Human Factor

Quality Circles



Toyota's philosophy of continuous improvement, known as Kaizen, is nowhere more evident than in the hundreds of quality circles. These quality circles are constantly improving all aspects of the production system by looking for and addressing the root cause of a problem, and fixing it so it doesn't come back.



At Toyota's Camry plant in Kentucky, members of a quality circle in the stamping area challenged a standard practice in the automobile industry, figured out how to use an extra few feet on every roll of steel, and saved the company more than $100,000 annually. This is a good example of why Toyota can keep improving upon the best quality in the industry, and still maintain affordable pricing.

Suggestion System



Toyota's industry-leading suggestion system is a fertile source of ideas for improvement. At Toyota Motor Manufacturing in Kentucky, over the course of a year, almost 40,000 suggestions are received, of which fully 99% are implemented. When team members feel that they can express their ideas, and have them implemented, they participate enthusiastically in the concept of continuous improvement.



One suggestion resulted in the construction of a special seat, synchronized with the assembly line, which allows team members to see more easily, and work more comfortably, in the wheel wells



Despite the fact that the financial aspect of the program is downplayed, the combined hard dollar and labour savings from the suggestion system total in the tens of millions of dollars.

Quality Control



With individual team members always passing on a quality product to the next work station, by the time the vehicle reaches the end of the assembly line, most quality issues have been resolved.



However, with 5,000 components coming together to form a sophisticated piece of technology, a final check is good insurance. The vehicle spends only a few minutes in the assembly inspection area, but over 600 separate items are closely examined.



All defects found are logged into the plant's computer system. These issues, as well as direct feedback from customers and dealers, are followed up relentlessly.



Quality control personnel also rove the assembly line, taking random samples