ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a case study that has informed the development of the Shigeo Shingo Model is New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI), which was the first major investment by Toyota outside of Japan. NUMMI agreed to recognize the union, recall the workforce that was laid off when GM closed the plant, and pay the employees union-scale wages. One NUMMI manager noted that for the line to work efficiently, managers must respect their employees: One of the key concepts is respect for the worker, the team member. "NUMMI managers and employees recognize that the quest for continuous improvement is never over. A NUMMI manager described the impact of standard work in this way: We get improved quality because workers identify the most effective procedure for the job. NUMMI made performance highly visible in order to increase the employees' sense of interdependence and teamwork.
