Verical Communications

By Chris Cookson
Can the lean supply chain get too lean? That’s a hot topic now that Toyota is suffering safety and quality woes possibly related to its supply chain. While the lean manufacturing pioneer grapples with the fallout and recovery from “unintended acceleration” and other issues, high-tech manufacturers would do well to view the troubles [...]

The Economist carried an insightful article today, describing how Toyota, in its quest to become the number one car manufacturer worldwide, stretched its lean manufacturing philosophy to the breaking point. As Toyota sought to grow market share, they rapidly expanded their supply base to include suppliers they hadn’t worked with before. Along with their sole-source [...]