The New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI) plant in Fremont, California, stands as a testament to a revolutionary shift in American manufacturing. It’s a story of transformation, learning, and adaptation.
In the past, factories focused on quantity, accepting a fixed ratio of quality scrap from any manufacturing line. However, the NUMMI plant challenged this norm, embodying the famous quote by Frederick Taylor, often misunderstood, “In the past, the man has been first; in the future, the system must be first, and the first goal of all good systems should be developing first-class men.”
With the advent of Ford’s automatic conveyor belt, the system became a priority, and workers were at risk of becoming alienated commodities within the market. However, the approach of Toyota, and by extension NUMMI, sought to balance the human and the system, reducing the alienation of their staff and involving them in solving operational problems.
The underlying assumption is that people have responsibility and honor in their work, and the organization must foster a culture that brings everyone together for the purpose of existence and thriving. This approach acknowledges the presence of both objective and subjective variables that can disrupt the harmony of the manufacturing line and the system. It’s a continuous process of adaptation and problem-solving.
At NUMMI, they have promoted the following values:
- Humans are the priority, they are not alienated commodities on the good market.
- Variability and Gödel’s incompleteness are everywhere, and the system must build in elasticity to adapt to unexpected problems.
Some of the unique artifacts of the NUMMI plant include:
- Job security: If a plant needs to be reconstructed, layoffs are the last option.
- Direct recruitment: The company directly recruits the staff, and while the direct supervisor has the right to choose, the priority voting power belongs to the company.
- Empowerment: Everyone directly involved in the manufacturing process has the right to stop the plant. This is embodied in our “Stop the line and Andon System”.
- Problem-solving culture: There are many hidden variables inside the system. The leaders, managers, and supervisors have the duty to coordinate people inside the organization, and they work together to figure out the action plan to resolve the problems. As a specialist say, “No problem is a problem! Managers’ job is to see problems!”
Assembly Safety Specialist at BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC
1moCongratulations and welcome Cedric! I look forward to supporting you in the implementation of your project and the launch of future projects.