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The Role of the Shusa |
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Womack, Jones and Roos describe how Japanese auto makers design their products with a process that draws on the collective intelligence and expertise of trusted specialist suppliers. At the outset of the process, a full two or three years before the vehicle goes into production, a product design team is set up and put under the charge of a powerful Shusa, or boss. Once the Shusa and his team develop the concept for the car - its price and features - they call in a group of trusted suppliers to actually help design the car. These "first tier" suppliers place their own design engineers on the assembler's design team, under the direct control of the assembler's Shusa.
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While the Japanese auto makers still maintain total control over the design and manufacture of components considered to be elemental for the car's success - engines, transmissions, body panels and computer control systems - they readily hand over total control for other parts. This is one of the major differences between how cars are made in Japan, and how they are made in the West. Typically, Western auto makers will design the entire car themselves, and then distribute their drawings to a wide sample of potential suppliers, which are eventually chosen on the basis of low bids. In Japan, suppliers are chosen on the basis of quality and a proven track record of innovation. In this role, suppliers are able to add more value to the car than Western suppliers, whose sole responsibility is to produce to specifications.
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Womack, James P., Jones, Daniel T., Roos, Daniel. The Machine that Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production. Harper Perennial. New York. 1990.
This book is the result of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's International Motor Vehicle Program -- the most comprehensive examination of the global auto industry ever undertaken. The authors use hard data and intimately informed insight to cut through the myths and misinformation which cloud the common understanding of good manufacturing practice. Even though this book focuses on the automobile industry, the model of Lean Production -- which is called "Japan's secret weapon" -- can be applied to any enterprise in any industry.
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Womack, Jones and Roos bring western readers up to speed with the Japanese concepts of Kaizen (continuous, incremental improvement) and Kanban (just-in-time production), claiming and proving that Lean Production is a superior method for manufacturing excellence.
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