The Master Craftsmen
There is no higher honor within the team members of a Lexus assembly plant than the Takumi, or Master Craftsman. Each of these experts is hand-selected for performing their craft more skillfully and artfully than the rest. Tasked with developing the standards of quality the thousands of other team members must achieve, this elite group of 10 oversees every aspect of vehicle assembly at the Tahara plant [1].
The Andon Cord
At every Lexus manufacturing plant, any worker can pull the andon cord to stop the entire production line. What type of crisis could possibly warrant such a drastic measure? A single nut turned a few degrees too far, for instance. Or a worker dropping a screw (a clear indication of a flaw in how it was passed). Every time the cord is pulled, the problem—if you can really call it that—is analyzed and adjustments are made to correct it [1].
Improving Our Surroundings
Our commitment to continuous improvement extends to the efficient and wise use of materials. When the seat cushions, floor mats and roof liner are made, the leftover bits and trimmings are not discarded. Instead, they are molded into sound insulation material to be used in the doors, roof, floor and chassis. And, in every manufacturing site, an underground conveyor-belt system captures excess bits and scraps of metal and ships to a recycler to be melted down for reuse [1].
Kaizen
This philosophy of continuous improvement is the guiding principle at Lexus. It empowers everyone—whether engineer or assembly line worker—to look for ways to improve our vehicles and the processes that build them. How seriously do we take this philosophy? Every day in our design buildings, scores of engineers are required to scrutinize a recently introduced Lexus until they figure out some way, any way, to improve upon it [1].
