John: Toyota has not been squished by GM, because Toyota quality is superd while GM product quality has been pathetic. Toyotas keep on going for 200,000 miles while GM cars have planned oboscelence at 75,000. Japan, and Toyota in particular, threatened, and still threaten, the American Car Industry by the quality of the products they ship at a reasonable price. MSFT software quality is some of the worst in the industry. If they keep up their legion "poor software quality" they will remain "ripe" for intrusion into their markets (as GM was). Toyota's hero is "Dr. Edward Deming" the most reverred disciple of product quality in history (his picture is present on the wall as one enters Toyota's corporate headquarters). Read his writings and you will understand why this puny little island of Japan has successfully produced an economy that has threatened the huge economy of the United States and the world. Dr. Deming (an American advisor after WW II to Japan) was Toyota's and Japan's leader and his simple fourteen points propelled the Japanese into a competitive position with the US, as well as the world. One of the great American success stories associated with Dr. Deming's product quality teachings is the phenomenal recovery of Ford Motor Company (Ford used to have some of the worst product quality in the world, and now has product quality superior to almost any US auto manufacturer). Ford used Dr. Deming as their main product "philosopher" during their "quality revival" over the last 10-15 years. Dr. Deming was a certifiable "GENIUS" with degrees in Physics from Yale and several textbooks on statitical analysis. He utilized his analytical skills to help measure, quatitatively, corporate production parameters which could be used to improve product quality and efficiency. His personal energy was unbelievable. He travelled the Globe prophesizing the virtues and theories of product quality, via seminars, right up to his death at age 95.
As with GM, soon MSFT will be threatened by product quality, as well they should be. |
