Sustainable Solutions for SCM

System for American companies in automotive industry. The “lean” projects which transformed the production works into the “lean production line” were solved in the centre. • Toyota Technical Center: Research and development centre with the registered office in Michigan, cooperates with the University in Michigan. General Motors Corporation was the largest car producer in the USA and the second largest global car producer in 2008. GM produces cars in 35 countries over the world. They declared bankruptcy on 1 June 2009. The bankruptcy proceedings resulted in reorganisation of the company. The Department of the Treasury of the USA became their majority owner. The American government invested USD 57.6 billion in the program of problematic assets. GM sold the make Saab, liquidated the makes Hummer, Pontiac and Saturn on 23 rd February 2010. Currently, they own the makes Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GM Daewoo (70.1%), GMC, Holden, Opel and Vauxhall. Power distribution in the joint venture was 50:50. Toyota invested USD 100 mil. in cash and GM invested USD 100 mil. in a non-cash form (former factory of GM in Fermont). Toyota was responsible for production of the TPSs and GM for marketing. Robustness In 1984, when NUMMI was established, 450 American managers were sent to Japan (factory Takaoka) for education programs and trainings. Education and trainings form an integral part of the Toyota Production System. Such processes of moving the managers and managing employees were intensive particularly in the first years after establishing the joint venture. The purpose of such processes was to enable the American managers to start with application of the TPS in the USA after passing the intensive three-week training. Research activity Research activity took place in the Toyota Technical Center, which was established in Michigan to support R&D in America. The Toyota Technical Center provided support in the area of R&D in cooperation with the University of Michigan not only for the factory NUMMI, but also for other Toyota factories which were later established in America. Rebadging Production process of two identical automobiles in one line and their sale under different names or brands: e.g. Chevrolet Prizm was a copy of Toyota Corolla E80. Toyota was launched on the market in 1987 and Geo Prizm in 1989. A new Geo Prizm with the same styling as Toyota E80 and with identical quality was much less sold than the identical Toyota Corolla. Customers simply believed that Toyotas are better cars. It was written in the magazine Fortune in 1988 “It will take years until the reputation of GM in the area of quality and design improves”. Development of supply network From the beginning of the cooperation NUMMI used an already existing supply network of GM, because there were the suppliers supplying the inputs to the factory residing in the surrounding of NUMMI (factory in Fermont). Toyota developed the

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