Introduction
Quality management is perhaps one of the most important strategies in the current business world. Several big firms are shifting attention from sales projected businesses to production of quality goods as well as quality service provision. In developing long term strategies, businesses in different fields have developed keen interest in quality assurance and making it a priority in business management. This paper looks to examine how Toyota Company has risen to the top of vehicle manufacturing through implementation of quality management systems in its operation.
Quality Assurance and Quality Management
In business, the term quality may refer to a reliable product as well as one that meets all the requirement of intended product. However, according to Liker (2004), quality refers to producing a consistent product over time. This then leads to the theory of quality management as a convolution of several aspects in quality assurance. Jeffries (1999), asserts that quality management is considered to be practiced in four main aspects. That is, quality planning, quality assurance, quality control and quality improvement. The theory quality management suggests that to assure quality product or service, thorough planning must be taken into consideration and proper execution of such plans. In essence, it demands strategizing on achieving a planned quality outlook of the company or organization and how to maintain such quality production every other time.
Theorists in the field of quality management have suggested several means of attaining quality production over time. Quality principles have been developed which can be used by top management in imposing quality management in the organization. One of such quality principles is the customer focus principle. According to this theory, every business is dependent upon the customer in order to achieve projected sales . Therefore, it is paramount for the company to clearly understand the present and future needs of the customer in order to adequately meet the needs of the customer. Once such requirements are known, sensitizing organization employees will ensure that products and services meet the expectation of the customers and eventually meeting company goals.
A second principle developed by scholars is leadership. The theory asserts that a good management strategy must have the leadership of the organization championing the idea in some unity of purpose. Evans & Lindsay (2010) explain that top management of the company should take keen interest in creating and maintaining an internal environment which focuses employees on attaining the outlined quality standards. Top management should also lead in directing and developing quality strategies of the company.
A third principled developed to guide quality management is the process approach. Evans & Lindsay (2010) argue that for an organization to attain quality management then such quality management strategy must be included in the production process. For instance, in manufacturing business, products undergo several processes before it is a finished product. Process approach requires at each process or stage, quality control should be performed before progressing to the next stage.
The final principle in quality management is continual improvement. In general, a permanent strategy that an organization should employ in quality management is the continual improvement of the product. Currently the world is faced by continually changing technological and evolutionary business environment. Organizations must be keen enough to keep up with the changing environment in order to keep their customers in tandem with the changing world. This calls for continual improvement of the products through innovation and research.
Toyota and Quality Management
One of the firms that has fully understood the concept of quality management is the Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC). TMC is a Japanese automobile company with operations in every continent in the world. It is by the biggest car producing company in the world in terms of production. The company has over 317,000 employees worldwide and has stunned the business world in term of corporate management and quality management on its products. Its market capitalization is larger than Ford, Daimler Chrysler and General Motors combined .
Scholars argue that the success story of company is in the quality of the products they sell. . Here in the United States Toyota Corporation has a big manufacturing plant at Georgetown, Kentucky. Toyota at Kentucky has taken effort to develop strategies that would ensure world class quality in their automobile products in enshrined in the manufacturing philosophy of the company . When it comes to the manufacturing philosophy of the company, quality control systems are a cornerstone in production process. Team members are largely involved in an active capacity in quality control. The quality management philosophy also emphasizes on utilizing employee ideas and opinions in the production process. Each product is assumed to be most to the most important customer for the future. All this philosophy applies to the production system. Toyotas’ production system is a rather unique system. This production process allows the continual improvement of the quality of the cars produced. Several other companies have been seeking to adopt such a production process. Scientific methods and research are ingrained in the production process and quality evaluation. Furthermore, scientific methods are taught at all levels of the production process. According to Liker (2004), the production system at Toyota has been divided into four guiding rules. Each rule is designed to assist the production process in operation, design and project improvement.
Rule One
The first rule that Toyota has developed is all work at the production process shall be clearly defined. This definition must also express explicitly the scope of the work undertaken. A case in study is the process by which the Toyota Company uses to fix seats to vehicles. Quality controls are so defined to the very detail. Such that bolts used to tighten seat aware always fitted in the same order. In this specific process, bolts at the furthest to the entrance to the car are the first to be fitted. Additionally, the time taken to fit each bolt is also specified. Time is a vital aspect in assuring the quality of how the seats are fitted. Finally, the torque that each blot is fitted to is also specified .
Toyota has therefore taken keen interest in ensuring that each process at the production and assembly line is done to the required. Top management also has a definition of job they are supposed to perform. In the end such properly defined scope and expectation ensure that Toyota products at the best condition possible.
Rule Two
The second rule that guides quality production at Toyota states that every customer-supplier connection must be direct. In essence this implies that the installer (employee) of any part to the vehicle must have directly requested for the specific part that is being installed. A case in study is the fitting of dashboard cover to the vehicles. The rule stipulates that the employee must be request for the specific part from the materials handler. In the request, the installer (employee) must clearly identify part number to be installed, the quantity of the parts, the location of the par supplier and finally, the location of the installer must also be declared in the request.
According to Liker (2004), such a coordinated process of handling material and parts has been proved to save time in the production process. Ideally, each production has all these parts requested in advance, thus the time taken in availing then is considerably reduced.
Rule Three
The third rule used in production system requires that the path way that a product or a service takes must be both extremely simple and direct. Ideally, the rule directs that a vehicle part should take the simplest route to end up assembled into the vehicle. For instance, it is simpler to use plastic covers on bolts fitted on seat rather that metallic covers. The simplest path that materials can take is from the designated supplier to the materials handler and finally to the installer. Additional hoops to the path would deem the process too long. Goods should flow from a specific entity or person to the machine for fitting.
Rule four
In the final rule by the Toyota Company at Kentucky, any changes to the process must be done after scientifically approving such changes . A thorough scientific research must be undertaken to justify any such changes to production processes. A good case in study was the elimination of the tape installers used in installing fittings such as seats and dash boards. Initially the tape installers were not responsible for solving problems in the production process. A test hypothesis was formulating on the impacts that would be caused by eliminating tape installers. In the result, it was found out that eliminating tape installers would defect rates by nearly 90%. This surely enshrines scientific study in ensuring quality products and processes.
In formulating these rules, the mother Toyota Corporation envisaged an ideal production system. The corporation looked to have a defect free production system. The process was also to deliver products on time. In fact, the company developed a business idea referred to as the Just in Time (JIT) system, which has been envied by other manufacturers worldwide. The production process further looked to have products produced without any waste of resources in terms of labor, energy and other resources .
Lean Thinking
According to Evans & Lindsay (2010), quality management should not only focus on the products. Jeffries (1999), asserts that quality management is pegged on having a good working environment for the employees. Toyota has taken this idea with keen interest and is among the earliest adopter of HumanSigman process. This is a process developed by Gallup used for measuring and managing the impact of human relations to the performance of a company. In so doing, the company realized that if the employees were left to have a free environment guided by simple principles, then the company would see its products undergo transformative innovation. This free environment was referred to as ‘lean thinking’ (Emiliani, 2007).
The idea of lean thinking is fundamentally different from other management strategies. Lean thinking identifies that there is no ‘one best way’ or expertly sophisticated models that would solve all the quality management processes of a company. On the other hand, the idea of lean thinking allows worker to express their ideas at the workplace and each worker to develop own goals and endeavors as they work .
The philosophy of lean thinking is quite clear. The idea focuses on serving and adding value to customer satisfaction. Lean thinking redefines how employees should shift management thinking from mere customer satisfaction to ultimate customer experience. Efficiency in ensuring customer satisfaction should also be emphasized. The new idea of lean thinking creates flow by focusing attention on people and process. Toyota believes that employees should be engaged work with customers to ensure that their expectation are met. It also focuses personal learning and group experiences to improve on the products. umana HumanSigma identifies lean thinking as a means of managing human potential. Top managers should be keen to identify human differences and engage the employees in driving values along with their values.
Conclusion
Quality assurance and management can be discussed in several paradigms. In all, it is arguable that growth and development of business is depended upon customer satisfaction. To attain this company must consistently produce quality products. Quality is a definition only found within the breadth of customer satisfaction. Toyota has proved that quality can be attained through engaging both the employee and the customer. Encouraging free innovative thinking and guided production system ensures that product is continually improved and produce at the expected standard.
References
Emiliani, B. (2007). Real Lean: Understanding the Lean Management System (Volume 1).
Boston: Center for Lean Business Management
Evans, J. R., & Lindsay, W. M. (2010). Managing for Quality and Performance Excellence (8th
edition). New York: Cengage Learning.
Jeffries, T. (1999). Quality Management System. Ontario: RIBA Publications.
Liker, J. (2004). The Toyota way: 14 management principles from the world's greatest manufacturer. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional.
