Akio Toyoda said a key reason for Toyota Motor Corp.'s quality problems was an excessive focus on market share and profits among "some people" in the company, some of his bluntest words yet in assessing the flaws that led to widespread safety recalls.

Toyota's rapid expansion in recent years "attracted much praise from outside the company, and some people just got too big-headed and focused too excessively on profit," said the 53-year-old executive, a grandson of Toyota's founder.

Mr. Toyoda said the company's misguided strategic focus warped what he called the "order of Toyota's traditional priorities" in car making: a stress on product safety and quality first, sales volume and cost second. That order "changed" when Toyota began expanding rapidly a decade ago, and aggressively increasing market-share and cutting costs became paramount.

"There was a period we became too profit oriented," he said. Mr. Toyoda said he plans to ensure that Toyota restores the company's "traditional focus" under his watch—indicating he doesn't intend to step down himself over the quality problems.

These frank comments will help Toyota’s culture move quickly back to a customer and quality first focus.

Installing on a small business network, importing records from Excel or using the quick start wizard.

To qualify for your free copy, download the new version and send an email about your experience. You’ll receive a free license key.

from Gemba Panta Rei

Moreover, some companies are amplifying materials and logistics savings from backshoring by modernizing their U.S. plants to outpace Chinese facilities. Such is the case with Diagnostic Devices Inc., a maker of blood glucose monitoring systems. In August 2009, the privately held company based in Charlotte, N.C., announced that it was moving the manufacturing of its Prodigy line of audible glucose monitors to North Carolina, ending a five-year agreement with a contract manufacturer in China under which Diagnostic Devices sent components overseas and then had the finished devices shipped back to the United States. By automating its U.S. factory with robots and other high-tech hardware and software, and by taking advantage of lower shipping fees for a mostly local customer base, Diagnostic Devices reduced its production budget by 40 percent. And there is an added bonus, according to a company spokesman: “We will also have far more control over and protection of our intellectual property, which you don’t have in China.”

Rather than using multiple RSS feeds, a Web Slice enables users to subscribe to content directly within a web page; a separate RSS feed file is not required. Users monitor content changes and view the updated portion of the Web page directly from the Favorites bar (the improved Links toolbar) of Internet Explorer.

Here is the link for the IE8 addon: http://www.ieaddons.com/en/details/finance/Finance_from_Bing/

If you have IE8 give Bing Finance a look using this link: http://www.ieaddons.com/en/details/finance/Finance_from_Bing/

A What Matters Debate:
As the US economy emerges from the crisis, there’s little consensus on what lies ahead. Economic forecaster David Levy says chronic high unemployment will lead to, at worst, slight deflation. While former Fortune writer and financial adviser Al Ehrbar says, not so fast: with the Federal Reserve having flooded the market with dollars, massive inflation is likely.
Plus: What Matters continues the conversation on the fate of the dollar:
Geng Xiao: Why the Chinese will not bail out the dollar by allowing the renminbi to appreciate
Benn Steil: There are steep downsides to both a strong dollar and weak dollar policy
Gerard Lyons: Whether or not the dollar will topple isn’t in doubt, only its speed of decline is
Martin Gilman: Now that the United States is a debtor nation, its currency can no longer dominate
Charles Wyplosz: The dollar is the worst international currency, except for all the others
Tim Adams: The dollar’s share may shrink, but it will continue to dominate
Michael Mandel: Beware of a dollar crash if the United States loses its innovation edge
Jeffrey Garten: The question isn’t if the dollar will be replaced—it’s when and how

Here are five ideas to get ready for the upturn.

1. Upgrade systems and tools at bargain basement pricing
2. Ensure relationships are in good shape with highly dependent strategic suppliers
3. Lock suppliers into low cost long term deals
4. Implement index pricing and cost models to ensure fair price adjustment
5. Hire strategic sourcing professionals before there is a talent war

PREDICTIONS FOR THE 2010 SUPPLY CHAIN

Bangkok Post - ‎5 hours ago‎

With a brighter future ahead, let me propose a collection of Supply Chain Predictions for 2010. With thanks to Chris Verstraete and his SCM blog, ...

IDC: Globalization, Optimization, S&OP in Supply Chain's Future

Supply Chain Management Review - ‎6 hours ago‎

The analyst and research firm has released its list of top 10 predictions for the supply chain in 2010. In 2010, companies will be optimizing processes, ...

Spend Matters: Twelve Predictions for the Twelve Months of 2010

Enterprise Irregulars (blog) - Jason Busch - ‎3 hours ago‎

Obsessed with how companies manage, spend and save money, Jason writes about procurement, trade and supply chain issues @ Spend Matters. ...

2009 lessons and 2010 predictions

Energy Collective (blog) - ‎Jan 4, 2010‎

... plastic consumers on the retail end of the supply chain are interested in incorporating more of the compostable/biodegradable resin on their packaging. ...

Supply Chain and Logistics Predictions for 2010 :: Logistics ...

23 Dec 2009 by Adrian Gonzalez  
Yesterday, we reviewed some key events from 2009, along with the most read postings on Logistics Viewpoints. Today, my colleague Steve Banker and I offer up a few predictions and things to look for in 2010. Steve's Predictions Demand ...

SCM predictions for 2010: Lessons from the retail world

The 21st Century Supply Chain - Perspectives on Innovative (blog) - Trevor Miles - ‎Jan 4, 2010‎

What is interesting about the list, in my opinion anyway, is that we will see a lot of retail behaviour begin to percolate down the supply chain. ...

The a program is called RRCI, which stands for

• Ryohin (quality),
• Renka (low-price),
• Costs and
• Innovation

Much has been written about Toyota’s lean manufacturing capabilities. Their ability to partner with suppliers to drive cost reduction and innovation is admired by many. But I have no idea how to provide a broader definition for “Renka”. An internet search provides no clues.