SUPPLIER EYE

Over the almost four decades of having a front row seat to the world's most exciting and dynamic industry, this author has witnessed scores of events, influences and secular shifts. These include new trade agreements, vehicle efficiency initiatives, new technology integration, the occasional bankruptcy, and, of course, the rise and fall of various sales and production markets.

One secular shift is still apparent today. In the 1980s, several Japanese OEMs entered the North American market from a production perspective. Growing market share in the U.S. and Canada dictated that these OEMs needed to add North American capacity to reduce inventory, equalize currency, and commit to this market. One byproduct of the rise of Japanese OEMs and their methods was a truly influential book. “The Machine That Changed the World” was a mustread for anyone in our industry (still is). This book, led by MIT's James Womack, outlined the lean production methods by Japanese OEMs and their suppliers. Suffice to say, the industry took notice and applied many of these planning, development and production methods to improve quality, reduce waste, and more quickly react to consumer shifts.