Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Kaizen on pause

Honda and Toyota are being forced to modify decades of kaizen/just-in-time manufacturing and are stockpiling materials. It seems as though their suppliers – who sell to the entire automotive industry in the US, not just Detroit – are having problems due to Detroit's financial/inventory problems. 

After I posted that entry, I wondered how today's fiscal difficulties would change the way goods are produced. I am still ruminating on it. It's just strange to see the unraveling of decades of progress in the span of twelve to eighteen months. 

Hat tip [Autoblog]

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