Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1535414
Feature Article by Marcy LaRont I-CONNECT007 As a child in the late 1970s, I lived in Fre- mont, California, near the GM automotive manufacturing plant. At the time, GM had a terrible reputation for producing poor quality cars that were dwindling in popularity. I toured the GM plant while in elementary school. Each child received a pair of safety glasses before our group was escorted around the plant with our teacher. I remember seeing the car pieces on the line, and workers using blow torches to assemble the car. It was a heady experience, yet despite the openness of these tours, our parents weren't buying their cars. Toyota cars had been rising in popularity since the 1960s, and by 1995, the Toyota Camry Efficiency Unleashed: Breaking Down Lean and Six Sigma was the best-selling car in the United States. is was even aer GM and the other Ameri- can automakers had spent the better part of the 1980s examining the quality and efficiency of their factories. In 1984, GM had joined forces with Toyota to create the New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI) plant, a pivotal partnership and enduring example of cross- cultural collaboration that lasted until 2009. e U.S. auto industry was forever changed for the better because of Toyota's emphasis on continuous improvement, or "Kaizen." In the competitive manufacturing land- scape, continuous improvement is essential for maintaining efficiency, reducing defects, and 40 PCB007 MAGAZINE I MAY 2025