Toyota exec answers recall issues
It is no secret that Toyota has had its share of quality problems this year. The company has recalled over 1 million vehicles, and Kazuo Okamoto, head of its research and development organizations, is looking for the silver lining.
According to Okamoto, his company's recent quality problems can be pinned on their suppliers, and once Toyota figures out how its component quality slipped, its quality scores will be even higher than they are now! While we did not see any form of sinister laughing tucked in Okamoto's comments, we did find that he admitted the crux of Toyota's success in the US: the company's quality image in the United States is the 'lifeline' for all of its products. What was that, you mean it's not Toyota's exciting products?
Gary Convis, Toyota's executive vice president of Toyota's North American engineering and manufacturing operations, claims that the recall numbers seem high because of Toyota's move to consolidate suppliers by sharing components across several product lines. We call baloney on that, since many of the recalls we've seen also effect vehicles made ten years ago. Sharing components across products is nothing new. Anyway, we can all rest assured that Toyota's plans for global automotive domination will continue once it gets to the bottom of its component quality issues.
[Source: Automotive News, sub. required]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Ryan 2:36PM (9/18/2006)
"According to Okamoto, his company's recent quality problems can be pinned on their suppliers"
"Gary Convis, Toyota's executive vice president of Toyota's North American engineering and manufacturing operations, claims that the recall numbers seem high because of Toyota's move to consolidate suppliers by sharing components across several product lines."
-Man, nothin like throwing your vendors under the bus!!! I say if your willing to put your badge on the product, YOUR to blame! Your "subcontractors" should not be your excuse, when shit breaks on a car I wonder how often people think "well geez this switch was actually supplied by an outside vendor it's not Toyota's fault, yeah right.
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DarkKnight67 2:45PM (9/18/2006)
So, he's pinning the entire problem on the suppliers, but nothing on those who build the product? Very convenient! Sounds like the old "fix the blame on those who can't defend themselves" to me.
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Randall Halcomb 2:27PM (9/18/2006)
OMG, your comment just made me tear up a little... FROM LAUGHTER! You hit the nail on the head my friends.
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Lithous 2:37PM (9/18/2006)
Why are they admitting to problems that Consumer Reports tells us don't exist?
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Corey W. 2:58PM (9/18/2006)
Wow, that was shady, blame your suppliers. Oh, yeah, that's going to help with those relationships.
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Richard Warren 2:38PM (9/18/2006)
Same excuse
VW
Audi
GM
Ford
Chrysler
Look you're big boys, Your name is on the final product, maybe if you stopped grinding on your suppliers for the cheapest price and sending production to 20 cent per hour countries, you might not have the problems. Think?
All these guys use the new excuse "It's the supplier!"
Well, maybe the old way is still the best. You make it yourself.
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Jack 2:40PM (9/18/2006)
Didnt i read an article a while ago about toyota's plan to lower parts quailty in certain vehicles to lower production costs? Seems like it's come around to bite them in the ass.
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verdegrrl 2:52PM (9/18/2006)
And what's this we hear about Toyota increasing capacity massively, meanwhile, pushing back the release of the Corolla due to a claimed shortage of designers? Obviously different sectors of the company, but signs they aren't planning all that well.
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Hamud 2:58PM (9/18/2006)
If you ask me, i can't see any exciting product on Toyota's cars. They are nothing more then a reliable and well made mean of transportation.
Thats the good think on working with suppliers, you can always blame someone else if something goes wrong.
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Jimbo 3:05PM (9/18/2006)
As I predicted - Now that they are a top supplier with numbers of units sold that equal the largest brands. The errors in the way Consumer reports and other get their data on quality is showing and OMG! we see the major brands are all about the same!
Toyota does not walk on water as so many (blindly)believed.
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Jeff 3:26PM (9/18/2006)
"So, he's pinning the entire problem on the suppliers, but nothing on those who build the product?"
I can tell you that sometimes it IS THE SUPPLIER. The company I work for is having a great deal of trouble with supplier quality at this time. We do still take responsibility for the product, but the supplier problem is real.
I can also tell you that the problem isn't necessarily due to demanding lower prices from the supplier. Many of our suppliers were picked for their quality, and we paid more for the parts. However, the suppliers themselves sometimes change things that affect quality. I am a process engineer and I deal with customer returns on a daily basis. Sometimes, the problem is due to the supplier and the supplier only. Sometimes, we can modify our test procedures to catch the new problem, and sometimes we cannot.
I obviously don't know Toyota's particular situation, but, once again, I'll say that suppliers can be the problem.
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Rob 3:41PM (9/18/2006)
wait...Lithous, DarkKnight67, hating on a foreign brand?? omg, say it ain't so!
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Ryan 3:42PM (9/18/2006)
"I can tell you that sometimes it IS THE SUPPLIER"
-I totally agree with you.
-However a classy company would not be so quick to "LOOK ITS THEM NOT US", especially if you want a decent working relationship with the supplier.
In other words, any of you guys remember the article about Toyota demanding they don't supply parts to Hyundai? This (at least you would think) will not help that out!
Heres the article:
http://www.autoblog.com/2006/06/17/toyota-to-suppliers-don-t-sell-to-hyundai/
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Ryan 3:50PM (9/18/2006)
Ya know, after re-reading that post on Toyota not wanting hyundai to use their suppliers. It came to my attention that Toyota has a stake in most of their vendors AND co-develop a lot of the parts.
Man they sure do quickly distant themselves don't they?!
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Marc 3:52PM (9/18/2006)
Do you really think a company as large as Toyota has to worry about hurting the feelings of its suppliers?
Autoblog is just relentlessly spinning this story to cast negativity on Toyota. Toyota admits to having more recalls than they have had in the past, and have figured out why. Now they are taking steps to rectify the situation. Domestic brands (who still lead in recalls) should take note.
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Little Green Envy 3:52PM (9/18/2006)
Those suppliers make those parts to "TOYOTA'S" specs, so the quality begins with Toyota.
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Ryan 3:57PM (9/18/2006)
"16. Do you really think a company as large as Toyota has to worry about hurting the feelings of its suppliers?"
No Marc,
I don't, but what goes around comes around... Nothing is forever.
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Richard Warren 3:58PM (9/18/2006)
As you stand in the service drive, explain that to the customer, "it's not Toyota, it's a supplier". OK the customer does not care, it's Toyota's name on the final product.
Remember the old saying, point one finger at the oher party how many are pointing back?
Finger one, the supplier caused it, pointing there way.
Finger two, who inspected the offending part
Finger three who keeps odering from the same supplier?
Finger four who signed the contract?
Thumb, get it out of your ass.
It's a lame excuse. Sure we all know that a supplier can have problems, the actual maker and what they make can have problems. Ever hear them say, "Wow it's our problem" not often.
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Jeff 4:15PM (9/18/2006)
"However a classy company would not be so quick to "LOOK ITS THEM NOT US", especially if you want a decent working relationship with the supplier."
I agree, unless the supplier is just not cooperating. Of course, you should already be looking at new suppliers.
"Finger two, who inspected the offending part"
I agree, but sometimes you don't catch them. It is very rare that parts are inspected at 100 percent; too time-comsuming.
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Rob 4:20PM (9/18/2006)
i'd like to know why autoblog is so ready and eager to post anything dealing with the words "toyota" and "recalls". not saying that this doesn't deserve its due attention but i would at least like auto recall coverage that reflects reality. if you solely based your knowledge of recall history on autoblog's posts, for example, you would SWEAR that toyota led the WORLD in auto recalls. remember that Chrysler has had more recalls than any other automaker in 2006...not toyota..and considering they make less cars than GM and have more recalls, you know something's wrong there!
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