NUMMI Was Basis For Toyota's Five-Day Car - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

Automotive Industries,  Sept, 1999  by Marjorie Sorge

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A General Motors executive says Toyota borrowed a page out of the NUMMI production book with its new five day dealer order to out-of-the-plant build system being developed at its Canadian operation. GM and Toyota began to jointly run NUMMI in the 1980s. From that, the Japanese automaker "learned very well" how to work with suppliers, says Mark Hogan, group vice president in charge of GM's new e-GM program and a former NUMMI executive.

The process is currently used to assemble the limited build combination Solara at the company's plant in Cambridge, Ontario, but will be adopted globally. It's possible because the 360 key suppliers are linked virtually Coy computer) with the plant. Parts are delivered just-in-time and in-sequence from supplier facilities by truck on a very precise schedule. It is so precise that there is no backup plan for delays. Overtime is added to get back on schedule.

Hogan says NUMMI "had the same kind of milk run, the same kind of logistics pattern, etc." GM's new Lansing plant, scheduled to open in 2001, will broadcast the build schedule to suppliers 90 minutes before parts are needed, reducing the work in process by about 20%, he says. In turn, e-GM will give the suppliers better online connections that should push vehicles out the door more quickly.

COPYRIGHT 1999 Cahners Publishing Company
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