Strategic Excellence in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Industries

19Communication

19.1 INTRODUCTION

During the NUMMI partnership, Toyota found that typical American parts manufacturers are good at selling their products but rarely get involved in the design stage of the end product, which they felt misses the mark when focusing on meeting customer requirements. Toyota introduced its concept of “design in” to involve parts suppliers in the design stage of the end product, which in the NUMMI case was the joint General Motors-Toyota car. Toyota engineers were called in from Japan to meet with local suppliers who were assembled at a hotel. They shared their strategy and initiated the joint development of certain automobile parts to enhance the synergy of working together. They created a level of communication ...