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The Failure of Quality: Lessons from Toyota for Life Sciences Companies
Quality, Growth and Culture
In 1986, Toyota manufactured its first vehicle in the US. By the end of March 2008 the company had 53 manufacturing plants in 27 countries and a global workforce of 320,000. A massive network of parts, equipment and distribution suppliers feed the company’s production of about 9 million cars. The company was crowned as the world’s largest carmaker in 2007-2008.
Toyota had little time to enjoy its new status. Technical problems and product recalls were growing. In the 2007 Consumer Report (CCR) reliability rating, Toyota’s Camry, a version of its Tundra, and the all-wheel Lexus GS sedan all received a below average rating. The reliability problems caused CCR to drop Toyota from its coveted “Recommended List” and forced the company to submit one year of reliability data before it would consider restoring it’s long-held status. The same year, Toyota announced a safety recall of 55,000 floor mats. The company advised drivers of recalled cars to regularly verify that their floor mats were properly secured, assuring them that, “If properly secured, the All Weather Floor Mat will not interfere with the accelerator pedal.”
