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Quality when built in Japan is generally better, same with Germany.
I saw a video once that compared autoworkers among Chevy, Porsche, and Toyota. The Porsche guys all wore neat matching uniforms, red pants or coveralls, crisp white shirts and gloves. They looked like a team of elves building toys in Santa's workshop. They also have a color coded system, the guys with red uniforms were building the Cayenne, Panamera, Boxster, or Cayman. Guys with gray pants/coveralls build 911s, and guys with black/green built the 918 Spyder. No one looked dirty or disheveled. Same goes for the Toyota workers. Only difference was they had different colors than the Porsche guys, but it was clear all took pride in their work.
The Chevy guys they showed worked on the Corvette assembly line. They looked like complete slobs. Some of them had their pants hanging down off their butt, showing their underwear. Others wore basketball/sports jerseys and shorts.
If you don't take the time to even properly dress yourself to go to work, you're not going to take the extra bit of time and care to make sure you don't crossthread a bolt when assembling something.
This thread reminds me of the Michael Keaton movie Gung-Ho from the 80's.
I remember that one, funny movie. This thread proves how much perception really makes up people decisions. I'm in the industry, although not at the plant level and still can't see all that happens yet many of these replies from consumers make it sound like they were right their during the manufacturing practice and both a domestic and Asian OEM both here in the US, then MX and overseas. Interesting how the mind works, we see it in social media and mainstream media all the time.
As an engineer I enjoy reading about manufacturing processes. One article was on Japanese transmissions. When the same technology was exported to the states the transmissions were coming up with high percentage of failures. The purchasing specs were all the same. When they looked into it they found that the workers in Japan took the time to match the parts up with compatible parts. For instance if one part was a smidge larger than ideal they matched it with a corresponding part a smidge lower than ideal. All manufactured parts were within tolerance. In the USA the workers just reached into the bin and put on whatever came out. I was surprised that the Japanese workers were so detail oriented and the difference it made in the outcome.
To me I can feel the difference just getting in a Japan built car vs. a states built car so I always buy the Japan built car.
Nissan exclusively made their cars in Japan until 2004. when they started making the Maxima in Smyrna, Tennessee. That generation of Maxima was a dark time for Nissan as it was plagued with quality issues. .
My 2nd gen '98 Altima was assembled in Smyrna, TN - had a big 'ole sticker on it. I still see that generation on the road all the time.
As an engineer I enjoy reading about manufacturing processes. One article was on Japanese transmissions. When the same technology was exported to the states the transmissions were coming up with high percentage of failures. The purchasing specs were all the same. When they looked into it they found that the workers in Japan took the time to match the parts up with compatible parts. For instance if one part was a smidge larger than ideal they matched it with a corresponding part a smidge lower than ideal. All manufactured parts were within tolerance. In the USA the workers just reached into the bin and put on whatever came out. I was surprised that the Japanese workers were so detail oriented and the difference it made in the outcome.
To me I can feel the difference just getting in a Japan built car vs. a states built car so I always buy the Japan built car.
Is a "smidge" an engineering term ?
If all the parts were within tolerance, finding one at the low end of the tolerance, and matching that with the mating part that was at the opposite end of the tolerance would not be done as something the line worker thought up. It would have to be part of the process. If everything was built to their tolerances, it should work the same regardless. And with transmission internals, those Japanese workers must have micrometers for eyes to just pick out those pesty smidge in a half parts and mating them with the half a smidge parts.
Also , don't many companies share different suppliers ? Chrysler and Nissan for instance use ZF ( a German company) transmission for many of their vehicles.
Jatco, a Japanese transmission company is used in many different OEM's vehicles, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Dodge, Range Rover, Mazda, etc...
Last edited by scarabchuck; 08-19-2015 at 12:55 PM..
In the late 2000s, the rapidly-appreciating yen made it far less profitable to build cars in Japan to be sold in the US. During this time, Japanese manufacturers rushed to move production of their models to the US and Mexico, and engaged in cost-cutting for those models whose production could not be moved. An example of this is the 2009 Toyota 4Runner - Toyota pinched pennies by replacing the previous model's LED taillights with bulbs, and cutting a few other minor features.
Not saying that late-00's Japanese-built cars are or will be unreliable, but realities of the market forced these cars to be built to a lower price than their predecessors.
Wonder what we'll see now that the yen is weak again.
I believe that Japanese assembled cars are still better than American ones but the gap is getting closer. I think just the fact that the Japanese factories are closer to Headquarters and Engineering helped. In addition, American workers are probably less experience than the Japanese workers since most of them have been in the factories most of their careers. My company built a factory in China and spent a lot of time training the workers there and after 8 years, their products are still inferior compared to ours. I think that American factories are setup by sending Japanese workers to train the American workers here so it makes sense that it will take time for the American factories to close the quality gap.
Hope it doesn't upset people but I believe the average Japanese blue collar workers are more disciplined and better at following directions from Engineering.
I know for sure that Japanese cars assembled in Vietnam with imported components are terrible compared to cars from Japan or the US. People in Vietnam are willing to pay 25% more for imported cars.
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