Dan's Biz Bookshelf: 'Move Your Bus'
Driving Innovation: Direct Imaging vs. Conventional Exposure
It’s Only Common Sense: Selling to Today's Generation of Buyers
Efficiency Unleashed: Breaking Down Lean and Six Sigma
June 2, 2025 | Marcy LaRont, PCB007 MagazineEstimated reading time: 1 minute
As a child in the late 1970s, I lived near Fremont, California, the home of the GM automotive manufacturing plant. At the time, GM had a terrible reputation for producing poor quality cars that were dwindling in popularity. I toured the GM plant while in elementary school. Each child received a pair of safety glasses before our group was escorted around the plant with our teacher. I remember seeing the car pieces on the line, and workers using blow torches to assemble the car together. It was a heady experience, yet despite the openness of these tours, our parents weren’t buying their cars.
Toyota cars had been rising in popularity since the 19609s, and by 1995, the Toyota Camry was the best-selling car in the United States. This was even after GM and the other American automakers had spent the better part of the 1980s examining the quality and efficiency of their factories. In 1984, GM had joined forces with Toyota to create the New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI) plant, a pivotal partnership and enduring example of cross-cultural collaboration that lasted until 2009. The U.S. auto industry was forever changed for the better because of Toyota’s emphasis on continuous improvement, termed “Kaizen.”
In the competitive manufacturing landscape, continuous improvement is essential for maintaining efficiency, reducing defects, and enhancing customer satisfaction. Total Quality Management (TQM) has become an umbrella term for various quality improvement efforts with various methodologies developed to drive improvements and quality.
Toyota’s practice of Kaizen is based on the genesis of the word: “Kai” means change, and “zen” means good. Lean, Six Sigma, and Lean Six Sigma are the guiding principles of quality improvement in manufacturing and offer the most comprehensive toolkit for addressing waste reduction and quality improvement at any level of manufacturing. In the aggregate, these systems speak directly to defect reduction.
To continue reading the entire article, which originally appeared in the May 2025 issue of PCB007 Magazine, click here.
Share on:
Suggested Items
Driving Innovation: Direct Imaging vs. Conventional Exposure
07/01/2025 | Simon Khesin -- Column: Driving InnovationMy first camera used Kodak film. I even experimented with developing photos in the bathroom, though I usually dropped the film off at a Kodak center and received the prints two weeks later, only to discover that some images were out of focus or poorly framed. Today, every smartphone contains a high-quality camera capable of producing stunning images instantly.
TT Electronics Achieves ISO 13485 Medical Certification at Mexicali EMS Facility
06/27/2025 | TT ElectronicsThis milestone underscores TT Electronics’ commitment to delivering high-quality, compliant, and reliable manufacturing solutions to its global customers in healthcare and life sciences.
The Death of the Microsection
06/26/2025 | Bob Neves, Reliability Assessment Solutions, Inc.I got my start out of college grinding and polishing PCB microsections. My thumbs are a bit arthritic today because of the experience (microsection grinders know what I mean). Back then, via structures were rather large, and getting to the center in six steps of grinding and polishing was easy compared to what my team has been doing recently at the lab.
Specially Developed for Laser Plastic Welding from LPKF
06/25/2025 | LPKFLPKF introduces TherMoPro, a thermographic analysis system specifically developed for laser plastic welding that transforms thermal data into concrete actionable insights. Through automated capture, evaluation, and interpretation of surface temperature patterns immediately after welding, the system provides unprecedented process transparency that correlates with product joining quality and long-term product stability.
United Electronics Corporation Advances Manufacturing Capabilities with Schmoll MDI-ST Imaging Equipment
06/24/2025 | United Electronics CorporationUnited Electronics Corporation has successfully installed the advanced Schmoll MDI-ST (XL) imaging equipment at their advanced printed circuit board facility. This significant technology investment represents a continued commitment to delivering superior products and maintaining their position as an industry leader in precision PCB manufacturing.