Re: Automotive Manufacturing Industry: Japanese vs American corporate cultures

On Nov 18, 8:03 am, Aidan <ai...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Jane wrote:
> > On Nov 18, 1:30 am, Aidan <awe...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >> With all the talk of bail-outs for American owned auto companies, I got
> >> to wondering about the foreign owned car production corps, and how
> >> they're being affected by all this.  Then I stumbled upon this article...
>
> >>http://edgehopper.com/what-toyota-knows-that-gm-doesnt/
>
> >> I think that this kind of corporate culture is the way of the future.
> >> Where employees are not simply viewed as an operating expense, but as
> >> assets of the company - as people, not commodities.... and when I say
> >> the future, I'm not restricting the concept to the automotive industry -
> >> I hope that this will be how all large companies are run one day.
>
> >> The "note 2" at the bottom of the article also conjured a question I've
> >> often asked myself:  why are finance guys and marketers seemingly valued
> >> so highly compared to engineers and other technical positions?  It seems
> >> counter intuitive to consider the people who actually design and develop
> >> products as less valuable than those who simply hawk it to potential
> >> customers...  I mean, without the R&D department, the marketers and
> >> money jugglers would have nothing to work with.  On the other hand, the
> >> engineers and architects can happily do their work in the absence of the
> >> marketing and finance departments (they may not have a lot of money to
> >> work with due to lack of sales and such, but the point stands).  I see
> >> this situation as a symptom of the greater ailing of the American
> >> system... where money is valued over all else - products which provide
> >> actual value be damned.
>
> >> I think the message in all this is clear: America's brand of capitalism
> >> has failed us all.  The values that drove it have been proven to be
> >> corrupt and untenable in the long term.  As a new paradigm emerges, we
> >> as participants in this global society need to make sure that it is not
> >> as easily gamed or corruptible as the current system is.
>
> > I didn't read the article,
>
> I hope you can, because what I wrote was inspired by it
>
> > as I have had 'Japanese corporate culture'
> > shoved down my throat at work for at least 20 years.  I can tell you
> > that it doesn't exactly gel with the North American mindset.
>
> Which auto-manufacturer did/do you work for?  I can't remember if you've
> mentioned that before...

i've worked for GM for 26 years.  I am taking an early retirement
package at Christmas time and starting a new career.  I have mentioned
it in postings here.
>
> >  However,
> > does the article also mention that Japan keeps the value of the Yen
> > artificially low to protect their industry?
>
> If that is the case (do you have a link by chance?),

Yes, here's one:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/comment/outlook-forex-markets-struggle-to-make-sense-out-of-snow-in-dubai-580845.html
You can find lots more if you google for them.



the fact remains
> that Toyota has not laid off a single employee as a result of the
> financial crisis, where the "big 3" have given thousands the sack
> (according to the article)

Better edit that to 'single FULL-TIME employee'.  Toyota gets around
that by hiring temps and they have no problem laying them off.  The
UAW/CAW have only begun allowing temps in the past few years and only
if there is no fulltime employee on layoff.

http://www.canadianbusiness.com/markets/headline_news/article.jsp?content=b0617144A

http://www.autoblog.com/tag/toyota+layoffs/
>
> > That the government has
> > always propped the companies up financially as necessary (including
> > rescuing Nissan)?  That it is one of the most protectionist markets in
> > the world?  Easy to win when you have that kind of 'culture', lol!
>
> Well, the culture I'm referring to is one where employees are not
> treated as a commodity.  Myself, I find Toyota to make supremely
> reliable cars.  

Toyota (and Honda) had more recalls than GM in 2007:
http://forums.motortrend.com/70/6495664/the-general-forum/recall-numbers-for-2007-honda-toyota-numbers-highe/index.html

In addition, several Toyota models (including the terminally bland
Camry) have had their recommended status removed from Consumer Reports
due to increasing quality problems.

The GM of today is not the GM of 15 years ago.  Unfortunately, public
perception lags behind reality and the media has shown obvious bias
that is only now starting to shift.  GM has more hybrid models than
any other manufacturer and the first production electric model only a
little over a year away (should they survive).  Many of the new models
are actually based on Holden platforms and engineered in Australia.
GM has been cleaning up awards the past few years.  (just one example:
http://www.wheels.ca/article/124259)  Our Oshawa plants have trophy
cases full of them.

I'd like to think that it has something to do with the
> way they run things... and really, they sound very ethical in regards to
>   how they work with their employees.  In addition to that, they stand
> to benefit greatly by creating conditions conducive to keeping their
> employees loyal to the company.

Do I not seem loyal to you?  However, I prefer to be a person, not a
robot.

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