by THE WAY WE MUST THINK
Every day, members of management and the labor force should question whether they are satisfied with the organization’s products and services, and every day they should answer “No.” They should never be satisfied with their products and services; they should want to make them better. Look at the evolution of the shaving razor. It started with the straight razor, then the safety razor, then razors with two blades, then the Schick® Quattro® (with four blades), and next the Gillette® Fusion® (with five blades). Someplace, somewhere, people are looking at the Fusion and asking, “How can we make this better?”
As a consumer, I am constantly amazed at the poor quality of some products on the shelves and often shocked at the inadequate service that I receive from customer service representatives. I have become leery of the food raised, packaged, and imported from countries with inadequate environmental and health standards. During Christmas 2007, my wife and I worried that Christmas presents purchased for small children in the family might be tainted with lead paint, and we researched the toys on the Internet to ensure they were safe. For this inconvenience, I blame the company whose name is on the product, not the entire nation where the toy was manufactured. Though the company whose name was on the label did not manufacture the product, a quality-conscious company would have had a valid auditing or inspection system in place to ensure the products were safe for consumers.
American managers are trying to improve things with Six Sigma quality techniques and lean manufacturing. However, I do not believe that lean manufacturing techniques will correct the problems that the United States faces. Plus, American companies will never be lean enough to offset low-cost labor in Africa and the Middle East. No one in this country can afford to work for $5 a day, twelve hours a day, with no benefits. Manufacturing and services need to get back into the reliability game and make things that work a long, long time. If average car buyers keep their cars for ten years, American cars should be so reliable that Americans buy them because they know they will last ten years with minimal problems. Americans will begin “buying American” in greater numbers when American companies pursue and attain the type of quality and reliability indicative of Toyota and Honda.
Every day, members of management and the labor force should question whether they are satisfied with the organization’s products and services, and every day they should answer “No.” They should never be satisfied with their products and services; they should want to make them better. Look at the evolution of the shaving razor. It started with the straight razor, then the safety razor, then razors with two blades, then the Schick® Quattro® (with four blades), and next the Gillette® Fusion® (with five blades). Someplace, somewhere, people are looking at the Fusion and asking, “How can we make this better?”
As a consumer, I am constantly amazed at the poor quality of some products on the shelves and often shocked at the inadequate service that I receive from customer service representatives. I have become leery of the food raised, packaged, and imported from countries with inadequate environmental and health standards. During Christmas 2007, my wife and I worried that Christmas presents purchased for small children in the family might be tainted with lead paint, and we researched the toys on the Internet to ensure they were safe. For this inconvenience, I blame the company whose name is on the product, not the entire nation where the toy was manufactured. Though the company whose name was on the label did not manufacture the product, a quality-conscious company would have had a valid auditing or inspection system in place to ensure the products were safe for consumers.
American managers are trying to improve things with Six Sigma quality techniques and lean manufacturing. However, I do not believe that lean manufacturing techniques will correct the problems that the United States faces. Plus, American companies will never be lean enough to offset low-cost labor in Africa and the Middle East. No one in this country can afford to work for $5 a day, twelve hours a day, with no benefits. Manufacturing and services need to get back into the reliability game and make things that work a long, long time. If average car buyers keep their cars for ten years, American cars should be so reliable that Americans buy them because they know they will last ten years with minimal problems. Americans will begin “buying American” in greater numbers when American companies pursue and attain the type of quality and reliability indicative of Toyota and Honda.
