Toyota chief says quality control training lapsed amid fast growth

Thursday 18th March, 11:43 AM JST

TOKYO —

Toyota’s training of workers to maintain quality control failed to keep up with the company’s rapid growth, its president Akio Toyoda said in an interview with a major Japanese business daily.

Toyoda, grandson of the automaker’s founder, said the problem became especially acute after Toyota’s global production and sales topped 6 million vehicles in its fiscal year 2002.

Toyota’s quality controls have been under fire after massive global recalls starting late last year for defective gas pedals, faulty floor mats and flawed braking affecting more than 8 million vehicles, mostly in North America.

“It has been tough and frustrating emotionally for me, but we must accept it as an inevitable,” he told Japan’s top business daily The Nikkei in a front-page interview published Thursday.

Toyoda was widely criticized for being invisible when the quality woes surfaced last year. He has appeared since then at news conferences in Japan. He attended a U.S. congressional hearing last month on Toyota’s recalls.

He has also appeared on a Japanese TV news show, as well as on “Larry King Live” in the U.S.

Earlier this week, he wrote in his Japanese blog for the first time since the recall troubles hit, apologizing to customers.

Writing under his handle Morizo, he said Toyota will “take seriously, accept humbly and respond sincerely” to criticism.

In the Nikkei interview, he promised to beef up quality controls, including promoting non-Japanese employees, to better respond to different customer needs, to become a “small Toyota,” instead of focusing on sales expansion.

Entering an alliance with other automakers was not a priority with Toyota, and strengthening networking with suppliers and dealers is more important, he said. The decision on recalls would still remain with officials in Japan, although Toyota plans to become quicker in responding to complaints from overseas drivers, according to Toyoda.

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skipbeat at 10:09 AM JST - 19th March

Toyota’s training of workers to maintain quality control failed to keep up with the company’s rapid growth, its president Akio Toyoda said in an interview with a major Japanese business daily.

Toyoda don't overwork the employees and engineers because how are they going to provide quality control if Toyota goes after profit margins. Without good health of the employees quality control will be lacking.
Branded at 12:44 PM JST - 19th March

skipbeat; I have to laugh- Toyoda don't overwork the employees and engineers because how are they going to provide quality control if Toyota goes after profit margins. Without good health of the employees quality control will be lacking."

I would say all the evidence points otherwise. Toyota has been involved in numerous cases of both "unpaid" overtime and "Karoshi"- death by overwork. In fact Toyota is pretty much the poster child for both syndromes. And as you suggest, this overworked and underpaid workforce has produced nothing but defects for a good 10 years now ! Sad !
gogogo at 03:03 PM JST - 19th March

Toyota really has paid alot of bloggers to write good things about them via marketing companies... totally on clean up patrol. Don't believe everything you read good about Toyota at the moment (even user posts here) they are really trying to dilute the internet with information so the problem goes away.
Branded at 12:41 AM JST - 20th March

gogogo; "Toyota really has paid alot of bloggers to write good things about them via marketing companies..."

There are many who suspect the same thing had been going on with "Consumer Reports" for years. It would explain Toyota's automatic seal of approval since 2003 and CR's current position to continue to support the company by going out of their way to say nice things. It really is odd that they would jeapordize their reputation just to protect Toyota- the money must be big !
gogogo at 08:46 AM JST - 20th March

Branded: I know the marketing companies directly involved on cleanup for Toyota, I already named the main marketing company and could start to list their clients as well.
sfjp330 at 10:14 AM JST - 20th March

Branded at 12:41 AM JST - 20th March. There are many who suspect the same thing had been going on with "Consumer Reports" for years. It would explain Toyota's automatic seal of approval since 2003 and CR's current position to continue to support the company by going out of their way to say nice things.

Are you serious? Another joke. "Consumer Reports" is just another tool for product information and doesn't mean much. Actually, the general public decides on whether Toyota is a good or bad product. This determines the product value based on supply and demand. If you compare 3-5 years old Camry resale value to Malibu and Fusion, you can see the difference. $12-14K for Camry, $8-10K for Fusion, $7-9K for Malibu. Even with Toyota's current problem, the resale value still about the same, less 3 percent. Why isn't the used Toyota going down dramatically in price? Because, still consumer knows it's a good value regardless of what JT critics says.
skipbeat at 06:09 PM JST - 20th March

gogogo said,

Toyota really has paid alot of bloggers to write good things about them via marketing companies... totally on clean up patrol. Don't believe everything you read good about Toyota at the moment (even user posts here) they are really trying to dilute the internet with information so the problem goes away.

and

Branded: I know the marketing companies directly involved on cleanup for Toyota, I already named the main marketing company and could start to list their clients as well.

One role of marketing is PR. Toyota is doing damage control through bloggers because there are some people on the opposite end who are trash talking Toyota without merits. Overall people should take everything with a grain of salt when it comes to articles, forum, blogs, and the media (even professional people).

I rarely read "Consumer Reports" because I am too poor to subscribe to it. :-) The magazine is just another opinion about car products among other things. When it comes to buying a product it has to have what I need and want. The answer is shop around. Trends are not the answer. They are only here today and gone tomorrow.

Branded said,

Toyota has been involved in numerous cases of both "unpaid" overtime and "Karoshi"- death by overwork. In fact Toyota is pretty much the poster child for both syndromes.

It is acceptable for many people to work overtime without pay because that is the society the majority of Japanese people live in. More than likely the Japanese people will not make waves because of harmony or it is expected of them to stay and work overtime. Whether it is right or wrong is up to the majority of the Japanese people to decide and change it. The labor laws in Japan need to be changed.

Toyota’s quality controls have been under fire after massive global recalls starting late last year for defective gas pedals, faulty floor mats and flawed braking affecting more than 8 million vehicles, mostly in North America.

Toyota needs to learn from Tylenol the correct way of responding to a crises. Or, it is about taking responsibility and being proactive to the recall.
UnagiDon at 12:20 AM JST - 22nd March

The best way to teach the "Toyota wannabes" is to ban the company outright from further business dealings in the USA- save lives, protect the public !

I agree, and I'm sure the ~30,000 Toyota employees in the US would be 100% behind such an obviously reasonable and rational position and gladly give up their livelihoods, not to mention the innumerable suppliers, because you're obviously looking out for their best interests.
sfjp330 at 05:11 AM JST - 22nd March

Branded at 12:53 AM JST - 22nd March. Now if we consider the ongoing success of American companies like Ford- who are enjoying dramatic sales increases- we see an opportunity for anyone being let go at Toyota ! Funny how that works.

Can Ford make their own version of hybrid Prius? 50-55mpg car? They don't even have in their drawing board a new technology of hybrid. Can Ford make their own version Focus, Fusion, Edge, Flex, Taurus rather than copy from Mazda and Volvo?

Moderator: Back on topic please. The subject is Toyota, not Ford.
Branded at 12:32 AM JST - 23rd March

sfjp330 asks; "Are you serious? Another joke."

And then proceeds to make these comments-

"Even with Toyota's current problem, the resale value still about the same"

Seems sfjp330 missed the whole discussion on why a large portion of Toyota owners have filed class action lawsuits in the states- claims that stock and resale value have both plummeted at Toyota because of their "current problems" !

And I agree with this 100%; "Moderator: Back on topic please. The subject is Toyota, not Ford."
sfjp330 at 03:00 AM JST - 23rd March

Branded at 12:32 AM JST - 23rd March. missed the whole discussion on why a large portion of Toyota owners have filed class action lawsuits in the states- claims that stock and resale value have both plummeted at Toyota because of their "current problems" !

Yes, there is a pending lawsuits accused against Toyota. and Branded have been repeating about this lawsuits 89 times. If you didn't know, I like to let you know we all know this. Do you have something new to say for change?
Branded at 09:38 AM JST - 23rd March

sfjp330; still grammarically perplexed is see;

"Yes, there is a pending lawsuits accused against Toyota."

No- there "are" pending lawsuits against Toyota- big ones too. Some say in excess of 3 billion dollars when all is said and done- I predict more, closer to 5 billion !

"Branded have been repeating about this lawsuits 89 times."

No- Branded "has" been repeating about "these" lawsuits 89 times. About as often as you try to drag an American auto maker into the conversation I imagine. The difference sfjp330- I'm on topic ! Now for something new, as you requested,

"In the Nikkei interview, he (Morizo) promised to beef up quality controls, including promoting non-Japanese employees, to better respond to different customer needs, to become a “small Toyota,” instead of focusing on sales expansion.

"Promote non-Japanese employees" ? See what I mean about Toyota's corporate culture of bias ? Sad that it took 10 million recalls, dozens of deaths (alledged) and hundreds of injuries (alledged) for this joker to finally pull the reins from the Japanese destruction machine !

And-

Toyota will now focus on other things besides market expansion ? I don't believe that for one instance ! Predatory practices aimed at overtaking market share is the nuts and bolts of Japanese business. They first implement a "divide and conquer" strategy and then insert their own suppliers forcing out the competition. These suppliers often times have to agree to be sole providers for Toyota and decline offers for joint ventures with other car makers. Many of them used the "me no speaky engrish" as a way out. I've worked with dozens of sales people in a variety of businesses in Japan- including major suppliers for Toyota- I've heard all the horror stories !
roomtemperature at 07:43 PM JST - 23rd March

"Toyota will now focus on other things besides market expansion ? I don't believe that for one instance ! Predatory practices aimed at overtaking market share is the nuts and bolts of Japanese business. They first implement a "divide and conquer" strategy and then insert their own suppliers forcing out the competition. These suppliers often times have to agree to be sole providers for Toyota and decline offers for joint ventures with other car makers. Many of them used the "me no speaky engrish" as a way out. I've worked with dozens of sales people in a variety of businesses in Japan- including major suppliers for Toyota- I've heard all the horror stories !"

So in brief, the competition doesn't have the power to outdo Toyota...right? Yes..that's a real horror story.
Branded at 12:26 AM JST - 24th March

"So in brief, the competition doesn't have the power to outdo Toyota...right?"

"Outdo Toyota" ? Only if they follow the same path of deceit, fraud, and scandal ! Yes, a real horror story.
roomtemperature at 01:39 PM JST - 24th March

"Only if they follow the same path of deceit, fraud, and scandal !"

Ohh...didn't you know, Branded? They have been on that path for a long time already. You, being a recall expert for all those years now, should now that.