Page 77 - Toyota Under Fire

TOYOT A UNDER FIRE

devolve into training for training’s sake—an opportunity for em-
ployees to catch a nap and goof off, not necessarily to learn any-
thing that they can put to use.
To combat this tendency, TMMI combined classroom train-
ing with hands-on kaizen on projects. Concrete goals were set for
improved safety, quality, and productivity metrics at the end of
the three months, to provide team members with a focus for their
activities. In many cases, these hands-on exercises had to simulate
the jobs, since the line was not running. But the group leaders
and plant managers had data on problems from before the shut-
down, and they had the standardized work for each job, so they
were able to work on safety, quality, and productivity.
For example, one group of hourly team members dubbed itself
the “Ding Kings,” as the group members were trying to eliminate
dings in the stamped steel body parts that were welded together
into panels in the body shop. Small nicks and dents were the
number one quality problem in terms of cost for the body shop.
The first step in TBP is to define the problem. As part of this
step, the group members classified dings seen in various areas of
the vehicle. They found a cluster of dings on the back hatch
of the Sequoia and investigated the root cause. One team mem-
ber suggested that the dings were caused by a jig that holds the
part in place. An investigation confirmed the theory. The team
fixed the problem by reinforcing the jig and replacing a hard
plastic block that presses against the part with a softer, more
malleable block. Four months of tracking showed that the fix
worked—zero defects.
Teams like the Ding Kings were at work all across the plant,
freed up to focus on safety, quality, and productivity by the line
shutdown and continued slow demand during the recession.
What they achieved is remarkable by any measure. In 2008

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