Smithsonian Videohistory Collection

Background

In an effort to regain some of their share of the domestic market for automobiles, in the 1980s American car manufacturers embarked on a variety of reforms of manufacturing processes and management techniques. In February 1983 General Motors (GM) Corporation entered into a joint venture with Toyota to produce automobiles using Japanese management techniques at a GM plant in Fremont, California. The plant was, at the time, the least productive in the GM system. The combined corporate effort, known as NUMMI, opened for production in December, 1984. Within five years the plant operated as efficiently as Japanese manufacturing facilities.

Peter Liebhold, museum specialist in engineering and industry at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History (NMAH), toured the NUMMI factory and its production lines to document the mechanical applications of Japanese managerial philosophy. Liebhold surveyed increases in automation, the "just-in-time" inventory system, assembly line quality control through kaizen, and the emphasis on teamwork which relied on multi-skilled workers cooperating with managers. These policies differed sharply from traditional American approaches to management and production.

Participants

Liebhold interviewed several employees throughout the plant for their responses to the organizational changes. Among those interviewed were Michael Damer, NUMMI's public relation officer, Gary Convis, the senior vice-president for manufacturing and engineering, and George Nano, the NUMMI United Auto Workers (UAW) bargaining committee chairman. The interviews took place in a single session, which was recorded on September 25 and 26, 1990 at the NUMMI plant.

Video Sessions

This collection consists of one interview session, totalling approximately 6:00 hours of recordings, and 109 pages of transcript. There are three generations of tape for each session: originals, dubbing masters, and reference copies. In total, this collection is comprised of 18 original videotapes (18 Beta videotapes), 6 dubbing master videotapes (6 U-Matic videotapes), and 3 reference copy videotapes (3 VHS videotapes).

Session One (September 25-26, 1990), at the NUMMI plant in Fremont, California, Liebhold interviewed employees about management style and the process of automobile manufacturing at the plant, c. 1983-1990, including:

• line operation improvements based on kaizen and suggestion procedures;
• quality control methods, including andon board;
• responsibilities of teams in production;
• task definition and assignment;
• differences between NUMMI and other manufacturers;
• elimination of job classifications;
• "ust-in-time"inventory control;
• role of United Auto Workers (UAW) local union;
• attitudes of local UAW leadership;
• conflict between pressures for quality and production;
• physical stress on line workers;
• training workers to NUMMI philosophy;
• worker opinions of NUMMI methods;
• comparisons of NUMMI plant to former GM plant;
• kanban card for inventory control;
• andon board and problem resolution;
• job descriptions;
• women's experiences in factory environment.

Visual documentation included:

• door panel stamping;
• die storage;
• quality information boards;
• downtime clocks and andon board;
• welding robots;
• work force in lunchroom;
• door construction and installation;
• refurbishment of welding tips;
• engine dress-up line;
• car-assembly manifest;
• kanban card for inventory control;
• Standardized Work Combination Table;
• problem resolution by team during line stoppage;
• exterior of NUMMI plant;
• group attendance chart;
• "Christine" seat installation robot;
• final assembly line work;
• spare tire robot;
• molding and trim application.

Original Masters: 18 Beta videotapes
Dubbing Masters: 6 U-Matic videotapes
Transcript: 109 pages
6 hours