ABSTRACT
This chapter presents findings of empirical research which entailed a detailed study and analysis of eight automotive plants, namely Toyota Motor Corporation: the Tsutsumi plant, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture. It explores development whereby the high level of job security for workers in Japan is under pressure, in combination with a pressure, as to remuneration, towards relatively less weight on seniority in favour of individual performance. The chapter examines the necessary involvement related to numerical flexibility is confirmed, but the level of functional flexibility of workers was not as expected. A rich literature has emerged addressing social and industrial development connected to Japanese automotive transplants in Western countries, especially those in the USA and the UK. The chapter shows that the development path of competition towards shorter model life time seems to have halted, and is even being rolled back somewhat. It suggests that the case data indicate a rather dispersed pattern of location of subcontractors and long transport distances.
