remember anecdote about Toyota car company assembly line and oil spot?
February 16, 2022 6:03 AM Subscribe
I remember an anecdote about a Japanese car company (I think Toyota) where, if they saw an oil spot on the ground, they'd stop the lines to diagnose where it came from -- rather than do the American car company thing and just clean it up. Does this sound familiar?
Essentially, this was a business-school story (maybe in LEAN circles?) to illustrate two different approaches to 'solving' a problem.
The Japanese car company would stop the assembly lines so as to find out where the oil spot had come from, thus killing time in the short run but saving time in the long run to diagnose whether or not a particular piece of machinery was malfunctioning.
The American car company would simply clean up the spot and move on, keeping the assembly lines running.
Whether or not it was true, the idea was to illustrate that solving the source of the problem is more important than just putting a band-aid on.
Does this ring a bell for anyone? Googling isn't working well for me.
Thank you!
Essentially, this was a business-school story (maybe in LEAN circles?) to illustrate two different approaches to 'solving' a problem.
The Japanese car company would stop the assembly lines so as to find out where the oil spot had come from, thus killing time in the short run but saving time in the long run to diagnose whether or not a particular piece of machinery was malfunctioning.
The American car company would simply clean up the spot and move on, keeping the assembly lines running.
Whether or not it was true, the idea was to illustrate that solving the source of the problem is more important than just putting a band-aid on.
Does this ring a bell for anyone? Googling isn't working well for me.
Thank you!
This was an episode of This American Life.
Episode #561 July 17, 2015: NUMMI
posted by RonButNotStupid at 6:07 AM on February 16, 2022 [5 favorites]
Episode #561 July 17, 2015: NUMMI
posted by RonButNotStupid at 6:07 AM on February 16, 2022 [5 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks! Those are both in the exact zone I'm looking for! Hoping to find an actual mention of the oil spot anecdote to link to, as well.
posted by knownassociate at 6:45 AM on February 16, 2022
posted by knownassociate at 6:45 AM on February 16, 2022
Sounds like the 5 Why's in Lean Six Sigma.
I'm pretty sure I've read this anecdote too, likely in a Harvard Business Case for my MBA, but I can't recall exactly.
posted by gemmy at 7:16 AM on February 16, 2022
I'm pretty sure I've read this anecdote too, likely in a Harvard Business Case for my MBA, but I can't recall exactly.
posted by gemmy at 7:16 AM on February 16, 2022
“Point Kaizen” might be a helpful concept here.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 7:42 AM on February 16, 2022
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 7:42 AM on February 16, 2022
I've been searching "Andon cord" and "Deming". Haven't found the exact reference yet, but it feels like a story that would have been in Mary Walton's book The Deming Management Method.
posted by straw at 9:23 AM on February 16, 2022
posted by straw at 9:23 AM on February 16, 2022
Last para, page 3, and the table over the page.
posted by some little punk in a rocket at 3:00 AM on February 17, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by some little punk in a rocket at 3:00 AM on February 17, 2022 [1 favorite]
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posted by zamboni at 6:07 AM on February 16, 2022