Toyota Suppliers Apparently Love Toyota

[1engineer]

This is a big deal. For those who are reading or technically challenged, skip down to the last few paragraphs.
Suppliers love Toyota and Honda: Why that matters to you - Autoblog

 

[wadle5]

Interesting read and explains why recently Toyota came out with Toyota Safety Sense.

I also laughed out loud when they said this is GM's highest ranking...(40 points below Toyota)

Sidenote where is Subaru in all of this? I only ask because from an electronics standpoint and their superior Eyesight Technology I would be intrigued to see where they fit.

 

[CO-Cygnus]

Sidenote where is Subaru in all of this? I only ask because from an electronics standpoint and their superior Eyesight Technology I would be intrigued to see where they fit.

+1. Eyesight is really good, except the lane departure warning is maddeningly intrusive.

 

[wadle5]

+1. Eyesight is really good, except the lane departure warning is maddeningly intrusive.

Agreed. But comparatively the next closest thing(obviuosly excluding Tesla) is Volvo's system. And at that pricepoint it makes Subaru's Eyesight look even better at half the cost.

What I have always thought as genius(or something else to go wrong) is what GM did with lane departure systems by making the seat vibrate whichever side the vehicle is crossing.
Lane Keep Assist And Lane Departure Warning Functionality ? 2016 Cadillac Chevrolet GMC | gm.oemdtc.com

 

[JPF25]

Sidenote where is Subaru in all of this? I only ask because from an electronics standpoint and their superior Eyesight Technology I would be intrigued to see where they fit.

Good observation. I do know Toyota is part owner of Subaru; wonder if Subaru's rating is absorbed/included with Toyota's survey rankings. Subaru's Eyesight Technology is pretty sweet. I test drove an outback before settling on a 4runner. Their products are very nice and swanky for the price.

 

[Muzzle of Bees]

Perhaps Nissan see the providers as being wolves. Or maybe they are doing their own development. It is hard to know. Nissan seems fine to me. Do you really need all the techno crap to drive? I think it is mostly hype myself.

 

[Gecko]

So what does this mean to the vehicle-buying public?

Henke explains that suppliers are more likely to have their best engineers work with people who treat them well. Suppliers are more likely to offer their best and latest technology to those companies that treat them with respect.

Those two elements alone can lead one to believe that the OEMs with the best engineering and the best technology are more likely to produce cars and trucks that are better than those produced by companies that are doing their utmost to berate their suppliers.

Thanks for sharing - cool article.

 

[1engineer]

Perhaps Nissan see the providers as being wolves. Or maybe they are doing their own development. It is hard to know. Nissan seems fine to me. Do you really need all the techno crap to drive? I think it is mostly hype myself.

It's not all techno crap. It's gear design, updated materials science, better component development, different plastics, etc. You have to remember that the vehicle OEM's depend on their suppliers for not only product but also engineering and research. No OEM has all positions covered on their payroll. The OEM engineers spec it out and put it together. The suppliers design and supply the components to OEM spec. Perfect example is a windshield: Do you think Toyota has the best materials science glass researcher on staff? Nope, but I will bet the maker of the glass (NOT Toyota) does because they also supply several other OEM's too. That is how the relationship works, and that is what the article is about... not just new tech crap. Who gets along best with their suppliers will also get the best the suppliers have to offer. Everyone else gets what's left.

 

[Lester Lugnut]

You scratch my back; I'll scratch yours.

Basic human nature.

 

[Muzzle of Bees]

It's not all techno crap. It's gear design, updated materials science, better component development, different plastics, etc. You have to remember that the vehicle OEM's depend on their suppliers for not only product but also engineering and research. No OEM has all positions covered on their payroll. The OEM engineers spec it out and put it together. The suppliers design and supply the components to OEM spec. Perfect example is a windshield: Do you think Toyota has the best materials science glass researcher on staff? Nope, but I will bet the maker of the glass (NOT Toyota) does because they also supply several other OEM's too. That is how the relationship works, and that is what the article is about... not just new tech crap. Who gets along best with their suppliers will also get the best the suppliers have to offer. Everyone else gets what's left.

That all makes sense. I was thinking of technology since the cost of integrating all that stuff seems overwhelming. I think we are going a little over the top with the gadgetry though.

 

[Lester Lugnut]

A couple of my in-laws work at the Tacoma/Tundra plant in SA.

As I hear it from them, being a contractor for Toyota is the ultimate dream. They're well compensated w/o absurd amounts of haggling; they know the product is well made and will always sell, thereby keeping them employed.

The poor rating for Nissan may correlate to all of the bad news I've heard over the years about their engine reliability issues.

Most years, my better half and I go to Hawaii using a Costco travel plan. We always end up with a 4 banger Nissan Altima. It gets the job done, but gets terrible mpg and overall the build quality is way below a Corolla or Camry. I would never buy one.

 

[Leucifer]

Business is about relationships. Hell, you could say life is about relationships.

I don't work in the auto industry, but in the medical field, keeping good rapport with vendors is critical. I've had to explain to doctors on multiple occasions that, saving a buck now, or screwing over a vendor can have long-term repercussions, and in a few occasions, have had to get senior leadership to censure those people because they were undercutting our position.

Yes, the bottom line is important, but you have to deal with people in good faith. You burn someone, or even just don't treat them fairly.... that always has consequences.

I'm not surprised by some of this. Myself, and my family.... Ford burned us good. As a result, between myself, my mother and father, my sister and her husband, we've gone through 1 Toyota, 4 Chevy's, 1 Pontiac, and 3 Jeeps since the last Ford. That, despite the fact that 3 generations of my family worked at Ford in some way, shape or form.

Ford saved themselves a few bucks, sure.
They also cost themselves a sale from my family from that point until who knows when.

Seeing this report..... makes me even happier that I was the first in the family to go Toyota.