This post has to do more with corporate manufacturing philosophy than making saw dust, but it might interest a few readers. In the weekend edition of the WSJ there was an article describing a tour of the Toyota Prius plant near Negoya. The word "jidoka" translates to "Quality must be built in the manufacturing process. Never send a defective item to the next process."
There is a rope which factory workers pull if they notice something abnormal on the line.
How does this attention to QC relate to the recalls of so many Toyota vehicles? How much do these recalls damage the brand ? Is there some glitch in the wireless accelerator system or is there some Japanese bashing being dished out by basically thenon technical lawyer types in Congress?