PDM Synopsis

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When GM partnered with Toyota in 1984, their worst performing plant (later called NUMMI) became the best performing car plant in America. And the rest is history. Toyota's now famous production system is adopted largely by every manufacturing company in the world and their progressive management principles have become research topics at the universities.

The plant in Fremont which became NUMMI, had been a General Motors (GM) plant between 1962 and 1982, making both cars and light trucks. This plant was GM’s worst in terms of quality, productivity, absenteeism, and worker safety. According to a later recounting by a leader of the United Auto Workers (UAW), the employees at the Fremont plant were "considered the worst workforce in the automobile industry in the United States." When Toyota and GM partnered to form New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. (NUMMI) in the very same plant two years after it was closed by GM, over 85% of the initial workforce were the workers who were laid off by GM in 1982. GM agreed to implement the famed Toyota Production System (TPS) and The Toyota Way in the NUMMI joint venture. GM planned to learn the Toyota Production System at NUMMI and bring the tools and principles to their other U.S. plants.

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DATE

Thursday, January 6, 2022

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TIME

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3:00PM - 5:00PM (EST)

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LOCATION

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FREE Virtual PDM Via Zoom 

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AGENDA

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3:00PM (EST) – Keynote Speaker Presentation

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5:00PM (EST) – Conclusion of Event

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER

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Greg Williams, a lean advisor for Aera Energy LLC, was granted unprecedented access to the NUMMI plant over a six-year period (2001-2007), working closely with and learning from both the Toyota people and the GM people. Greg also had the opportunity to learn from Toyota at Toyota Auto Body of California (TABC) in Long Beach, California. Additionally, he brought the Toyota Supplier Support Center (TSSC) to Aera for several visits, training, kaizen event facilitation and coaching between 2001-2004, during which time he had the privilege of learning first-hand from Sensei Hajime Ohba and other TSSC sensei. Greg also had the opportunity to take classes at the University of Toyota and visited other Toyota plants including TMMK in Kentucky and TMMTX in Texas.

Greg has four decades of experience in operations, engineering, and leadership, retiring from Aera Energy LLC in 2016 as Lean Director. Don't miss this unique opportunity to hear some great stories and learn from his many years of experience.

"A car plant in Fremont California that might have saved the U.S. car industry. In 1984, General Motors and Toyota opened NUMMI as a joint venture. Toyota showed GM the secrets of its production system: How it made cars of much higher quality and much lower cost than GM achieved" - This American Life

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