> May 10, 2010
> > This is Toyota Fast Facts, an update on breaking news, our recent recalls -
> and the work we are doing to make things right for our customers. Please
> feel free to share this information with family and friends. For
> additional information and breaking news, please visit
>
www.toyotanewsroom.com.
> > 1. Sec. LaHood and President Toyoda Hold Press Conference in Japan – LaHood
> Says Toyota Efforts 'Very Encouraging'
> > During a joint press briefing in Japan with President Akio Toyoda early
> this morning (U.S. time), U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood,
> according to news reports, described Toyota’s recent efforts to address
> quality as “very encouraging.” The Associated Press reported that LaHood
> said that the measures so far were important but that "the proof is in the
> pudding” regarding progress. The press conference followed a visit that
> LaHood made at Toyoda’s invitation to Toyota City to tour Toyota facilities
> and meet with senior executives.
> > In his comments, Toyoda noted the "strong progress" Toyota has made on its
> commitments to strengthen safety measures and increase communication among
> the company's global operations. "We are giving our local regions a
> greater role in making safety decisions and we are sharing information
> across regions on a more timely basis," he said, also highlighting the
> important roles of the Global Quality Task Force that he is running, the
> North American Quality Advisory panel chaired by former Transportation
> Secretary Rodney Slater, and Steve St. Angelo, the new chief quality
> officer for North America. “Our entire company has mobilized to ensure
> that Toyota vehicles remain safe and reliable for our customers, not only
> when they are first sold or leased, but also during their entire lifetime
> of operation,” Toyoda commented.
> > According to news reports, LaHood will also meet with executives from Honda
> and Nissan during this trip. In addition, he is scheduled to visit a train
> research facility in central Japan to discuss high speed magnetically
> levitated train systems.
> > To read more about the press conference, please visit
>
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTOE64907J20100510 > To read Toyoda’s prepared remarks, please click on
>
http://www.tmmna.tmm.toyota.com/tema/Daily%20Communications/May%2010/Akio%20r... > > > 2. Toyota Quality and Safety Still Strong, Writes Professor Jeffrey Liker
> > In a new article written for the Institute of Professional Engineers, Dr.
> Jeffrey Liker, professor of industrial and operations engineering at the
> University of Michigan and the author of the best selling book The Toyota
> Way, discusses coverage of the recent recalls and addresses concerns that
> some have raised about whether lean production methods – which have been
> adopted from the Toyota Production System by so many companies around the
> world – are still valid.
> > “Do the data support the demise of Toyota’s famed obsession with quality
> and safety?” Liker asks. “Certainly, any objective look at the data would
> say that the company appears to be one of the best automakers in quality
> and safety, continuing through 2010,” he says, pointing out the number of
> quality awards it has won this year. “I am not arguing that Toyota is
> perfect and doesn’t have problems. Toyota autos, as all autos, have
> unforeseen problems, which may ultimately lead to recalls,” Liker notes,
> pointing out that there were nearly 500 auto recalls in the United States
> in 2009 – nearly 10 recalls per week. However, he says, “The news of
> Toyota’s demise is premature, and most of the assumptions about plummeting
> quality and safety of Toyota automobiles have been exaggerated and
> sensationalized.”
> > Liker points out that “recalls are an imperfect measure because a small
> number of problems can lead to huge numbers of vehicles recalled, and the
> definition of a recall.” He also notes that automakers sometimes choose
> very different ways to respond to an issue. In March, for example, Toyota
> recalled certain Prius to adjust software that controls the car’s anti-lock
> braking system. “In fact, Ford had a similar problem on the Fusion Hybrid
> around the same time and was able to get by quietly with a technical
> service bulletin,” Liker writes.
> > A significant part of the route forward, particularly in improving consumer
> trust, according to the professor, lies in the principles that made Toyota
> so strong to begin with. Speaking of the steps that the company has taken
> to improve quality assurance, Liker writes, “I would argue that the
> approach Toyoda is taking follows the principles of the Toyota way
> exceptionally well, and that is what will help Toyota get past” this issue.
> He notes, “The Toyota way is to confront problems openly, find the root
> cause, solve the problems and learn. In the long-term, if Toyoda is
> successful in leading Toyota to another level of customer responsiveness,
> we may have an even better model for excellence in the future.”
> > To read Professor Liker’s entire article, please visit
>
http://www.iienet2.org/Details.aspx?id=20204 >
>
Posted via email from ReifelTower's Posterous
Well part the skies and let the doves descend. It looks like the Apple TV will evolve into a more desirable machine before too long. Quoting a tip that was "confirmed by a source very close to Apple," 
Would you be interested in using your phone as a hotel room key? If trials at two Holiday Inn locations in Chicago and Houston go well, it could become a standard option before too long.
Posts
