On the first week of my working life,my company exposed me to the idea "Doing it the Toyota Way" and "Kaizen", which I was told means "improve" in Japanese. But don't get me wrong, I wasn't part of the Toyota staff, and in no way being associated with them. The only link between me and Toyota is my dad owned one Toyota Corolla.
Until the recent crisis, Toyota has been a symbol of excellence, a sustainable corporate giant that span 73 years long. Toyota cars are meant to be reliable,and to many, owning a Toyota car alone is a great pride.
I was unfazed when Toyota announced the recall of vehicles. I thought it was a great move, a sign that they really care about the quality of the cars they produced. "No recall doesn't mean it's a good car" is what deeply feel, due to the numerous problems encountered by the people owning a national car. I was in no doubt that Toyota will come back stronger.
But when the news of an internal Toyota document broke off, I was deeply shocked! The internal document allegedly boast of a "win" for Toyota in striking a deal with the U.S. government for a more limited recall involving floor mats, and saving the company $100 million.
Though until now there aren't any definite reply whether the document is genuine or not, I hope Toyota, or even Akio Toyoda himself, will clarified on this matter. While customers acknowledged that defects does happen, they will never forgive for ignoring their safety for the sake of saving money. This will be a crucial point in convincing and winning back the customers again,and that Toyota is still a reputable company that stress on safety.
My confidence on Toyota is greatly shaken by this document, and as this crisis keep on unfolding, we may, or may not get to the real cause all these recalls.
May we all get to the root of the cause..
