Page 84 - Toyota Under Fire

THE OIL CRISIS AND THE GREA T RECESSION

Now TMMK was going to have to learn to change takt as often as
demand shifted. Not only that, but it was going to have to adjust to
frequent takt changes while also moving toward building a larger
variety of vehicles (e.g., several models and trim levels of Camry,
Camry hybrid, Venza, and Solara convertible) and a dynamic
mix of those vehicles. Each day, the mix of Camrys, Venzas, and
Solaras and the specific trim options (e.g., power versus manual
seats) that was made would change based on market demand.
Planning for the first major slowdown in line speed involved
teams from all over the plant studying every job on the line, look-
ing in detail at every task and how long it took, reviewing pos-
sible defects associated with each so that countermeasures could
be identified, and incorporating all the changes into new stan-
dardized work, to improve productivity and reduce defects. Then
workers had to be trained repetitively in the new standardized
work until they could perform the tasks flawlessly as specified.
Phasing in the slower takt took six weeks, which at the time was
faster and involved fewer defects and safety issues than any of the
North American plants had managed in prior takt changes.
With overtime cut back dramatically and a slower line speed,
many team members were freed up to work on the additional
changes the plant was going through that added complexity. Kaizen
teams were formed to plan for the introduction of additional ver-
sions of the Venza. But the place these teams had the most impact
was in helping the plant adjust to a dynamic vehicle mix. In the
past, TMMK had been able to sequence vehicles and the overall
mix of Venzas, Camrys, and Solaras based on what worked best for
the assembly line. Now it had to make adjustments based on what
the demand was—and that meant lots of andon pulls as workers
learned to cope with the variety. Teams were formed to analyze
every andon pull, diagnose the root causes, and find solutions.

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