20080606 A lesson to be learned from Ford versus Toyota

A lesson to be learned from Ford versus Toyota

Hat Tip: Grammy June 6, 2008

I received this allegory in an email. It was simply too true to not pass on and post…

A Japanese company (Toyota) and an American company (Ford) decided to have a canoe race on the Missouri River. Both teams practiced long and hard to reach their peak performance before the race.

On the big day, the Japanese won by a mile.

The Americans, very discouraged and depressed, decided to investigate the reason for the crushing defeat. A management team made up of senior management was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action.

Their conclusion was the Japanese had 8 people rowing and 1 person steering, while the American team had 8 people steering and 1 person rowing.

Feeling a deeper study was in order, Ford management hired a consulting company and paid them a large amount of money for a second opinion.

They advised, of course, that too many people were steering the boat, while not enough people were rowing.

Not sure of how to utilize that information, but wanting to prevent another loss to Toyota, the Ford rowing team's management structure was totally reorganized to 4 steering supervisors, 3 area steering superintendents, and 1 assistant superintendent steering manager.

They also implemented a new performance system that would give the 1 person rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called the' Rowing Team Quality First Program,' with meetings, dinners, and free pens for the rower. There was discussion of getting new paddles, canoes, and other equipment, extra vacation days for practices and bonuses.

The next year the Japanese won by two miles.

Humiliated, the American management laid off the rower for po or performance, halted development of a new canoe, sold the paddles, and canceled all capital investments for new equipment. The money saved was distributed to the Senior Executives as bonuses and the next year's racing team was out-sourced to India.

Sadly, The End

Here's something else to think about:

Ford has spent the last thirty years moving all its factories out of the US , claiming they can't make money paying American wages.

TOYOTA has spent the last thirty years building more than a dozen plants inside the US The last quarter's results for 2007:

TOYOTA makes 4 billion in profits while Ford racked up 9 billion in losses.

Ford folks are still scratching their heads.

IF THIS WEREN'T TRUE, IT MIGHT BE FUNNY

(I drive a Prius.)

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20080606 A lesson to be learned from Ford versus Toyota

20070415 Me and my Prius

Bin Laden Hates This Car

I love my Prius

April 15^th, 2007

I love my Prius. But I keep reading that the fact that I own a Prius communicates an awkward message… Or see below: “The problem is what people think of you if you drive one. Everyone assumes you're a pious, self-righteous eco-puritan Democrat…”

Yes, I bought my Prius for environmental reasons. And yes one of the more over-riding reasons I bought the Prius is for “foreign policy reasons” - - in that I hate to give money to folks who want to kill me and fellow Americans… or just as bad – Hugo Chavez of Venezuela (Say NO to Citgo.)

And yes I would rather give my money to the Japanese than the Arabs. And yes – yes, I would buy an American car if it had the reliability of a Japanese car. Been there, done that, and got the t-shirt.

But I bought my Prius even more for the fact that we have a failed domestic policy that facilitates no national mobilization towards energy independence.

And also in the top-ten list as to why I bought my Prius is that I am an “‘early adopter’ gadget freaks”

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Hat tip: Glenn Reynolds’ “Instapundit” - - HOW TO DRIVE A HYBRID without looking P.C. I should try that! - posted at 05:19 PM by Glenn Reynolds: http://instapundit.com/archives2/004171.php

http://littleurbanity.blogspot.com/2007/04/solving-prius-problem.html

Saturday, April 14, 2007

Solving the Prius Problem

“A Little Urbanity”

http://littleurbanity.blogspot.com/2007/04/solving-prius-problem.html

There's a problem with our Prius, but not with its performance. It gives us just what we expected in that department: great gas mileage, good fit and finish, Toyota reliability.

The problem is what people think of you if you drive one. Everyone assumes you're a pious, self-righteous eco-puritan Democrat, which I am not (even though Al Gore can kiss my carbon footprint). We bought our Prius more for foreign policy reasons than environmental ones. […]

Go read the comments at: Solving the Prius Problem

Yes, you will have to wade through some mindless drivel – but it worth it to read some of the comments that are fun, like: “I've got that problem too. Used to drive by the smelly hippies protesting in front of the WAR memorial building in my little electric GEM car and they thought I was one of them collectivists. But the BUSH 04, NRA and PEACE THROUGH SUPERIOR FIREPOWER stickers usually set them straight…”

Or:

“Look at the demographics of Prius buyers. About half "early adopter" gadget freaks-who are largely Republican…”

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20060819 Hybrid Owners of America

Hybrid Owners of America

August 19^th, 2006

Wonkette calls to our attention that a “New lobbying group, “Hybrid Owners of America” to demand unlimited access to smug attitudes. [Detroit News]”

I own a hybrid - - a Prius. I sure hope that I don’t have a “smug attitude.”

I bought it for a number of reasons.

Not in any particular order… Although one of the main reasons I purchased it is because I wanted to reduce the amount of money I send to folks in the middle-east who want to cut off my head.

Talk about playing a role in our own victimization.

I don’t think continuing to depend on fossil fuels (dinosaur crap) is good for the environment.

I like the cost savings.

The article can be found here: Detroit News

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Hybrid owners get lobby

Organization will push for the existing and new incentives for users of alternative fuel cars.

David Shepardson / Detroit News Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON -- Hybrid vehicle owners have it pretty good: tax credits, unlimited access to car pool lanes and free parking in some places.

Now they'll have their own lobbying group in Washington.

Taking a page from the SUV Owners of America, a new group calling itself "Hybrid Owners of America" will kick off its lobbying efforts today to "advocate for the interests of the more than half a million Americans who already own hybrid gas-electric cars and other vehicles."

[…]

The hybrid owners group is founded by the Newton, Mass.-based Civil Society Institute, a group that lobbies for higher fuel economy requirements. Its Web site is www.40mpg.org.

Read the rest here.

Kevin Dayhoff

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