How does Lexus keep winning so many dependability awards?
#1
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
How does Lexus keep winning so many dependability awards?
How does Lexus keep winning so many dependability awards? – New and Used Car Reviews, Comparisons and News | Driving
Originally Published: Feb 7, 2020And, in fact, it’s a testament to TMMC that Lexus vehicles are built in Cambridge in the first place: it was the first assembly plant outside of Japan to be trusted with building Lexus vehicles when it acquired RX production in 2003.The latter statement begins to shed light on why the brand delivers so consistently on dependability: the Lexus luxury arm is a closely guarded treasure as far as parent company Toyota is concerned. The full picture, however, carries much more nuance.
When he begins to explain, Steven MacNeil, general manager of Lexus manufacturing at TMMC, makes reference to the Japanese term monozukuri. It’s a term that’s difficult to translate: while its literal meaning is “the making of things,” in its native language the term implies a level of care and intention for excellence that’s infused into processes, a dedication to skill and pride in the end product without regard to the impact on a company’s bottom line.
“This is, basically, perceived value by the customer that adds to the betterment of society or the experience that people enjoy driving their vehicles,” MacNeil told Driving.ca. “Based on this fundamental principle, the starting point is we have a very well-defined product specification that links directly to what the customer expects from the Lexus brand and, through that, the Lexus experience.”
While MacNeil’s views are understandably centred largely on Lexus production in Canada, the principles he identifies spell out how Lexus maintains its consistency while making steady and calculated gains, several of which he says are applied in Lexus manufacturing facilities all over the world.
Attention to detail
Pride in craftsmanship, particularly where monozukuri is concerned, means taking the time to ensure that details are not glossed over. Sweating the small stuff matters, as does communicating its importance, according to MacNeil.“We’ve been told before we’re kind of OCD when it comes to not only the design but in our preparation and then our efficiency and quality as we go into mass production,” he said. “Whether that’s making sure our environment is clean so no dust gets into the engines or whether we’re torqueing to the exact specification for every bolt, our motivation is to do everything to that specification to meet the customer requirement.”
Intense training
Ensuring that new staff members can work to exacting specifications requires high standards of training, MacNeil said.“We send them to fundamental skill modules – like tightening or connectors or hose routing or painting, whatever the skill is – and they practice until they are proficient,” he explained. “Then, we send them line side where the team leader takes over and matures their training skills. And then we go and follow up and make sure that they’re meeting those requirements.”
This is just the start. At Lexus production facilities in Japan, certainly highly skilled staff members are referred to as Takumi masters. The word Takumi roughly translates to “artisan,” and these masters are selected for their skill level and refined senses. It’s been said that it takes 10,000 hours of practice for someone to become an expert at their craft; Takumi masters train for 60,000 hours to earn the titles that certify them as master trainers. One of the standards they must be able to meet is the ability to fold an origami cat with their non-dominant hand in 90 seconds. (Yes, this is a real thing.)
There are not yet any Takumi masters at TMMC, MacNeil says, but it’s a standard the facility is actively working toward.
“They probably have 30 years of Lexus experience,” he said. “We’re not quite there yet. But we’re building a team that can train to those standards.”
Making changes quickly based on customer feedback
MacNeil said the Lexus brand considers ongoing response to customer feedback to be integral to the brand’s constant strive for improvement.“We go out into the field and we visit our dealers,” MacNeil said. “We have face-to-face conversations and we get immediate feedback of our customers. And for every comment or every interaction, we bring that back to the plant and we see how we can drive those changes back through product specification.
“In the vehicle with our customers, they feed back that maybe it needs a little more power or there’s torque understeer or there’s shift delay at this gear. We take that information and we feed it back to see, in the manufacturing process, what can we do.
“In the case of where there was a shift difference, we brought that back to the designers and we changed the software. Sometimes that can take a long time in development, but at the manufacturing process we see what we can do to expedite implementing that software on the next vehicle as quickly as possible. Sometimes, we put a temporary countermeasure in place to help support the customer until the final program gets into the ECU at the supplier. That’s one example where we would have very quick action.”
Thorough and repetitive testing
MacNeil says that Lexus remains consistent and thorough in how parts and finished vehicles are tested to ensure they meet quality requirements.“(We) 100 per cent dry-test all our engines and wet-test all the transmissions,” MacNeil said. “Some OEMs don’t do that anymore. They wait for it to get into the car before they test. But we still are meticulous to make sure the powertrain is meeting all the specifications before we put it in the car.
“Once it is put into the vehicle, we test drive every vehicle on the test track. Not only (do they) go through a roll test on the vehicle performance line in the plant, we take them outside and drive them on a test course checking for noise, vibration, harshness, power, those types of things.”
A healthy dose of competition
Those J.D. Power Plant Quality Awards mean a great deal within Lexus — so much so that Lexus plants consider themselves in competition globally to win the most. TMMC is only one award away from surpassing its sister plant, Toyota Motor Kyushu in Japan, for having the most plant quality awards on the planet. This becomes a factor in helping to push for constant improvement, MacNeil said.“We’re fighting to be that best in the world,” MacNeil said. “Competition to be the global best in quality is healthy. And in the end, that’s where the customer wins.”
Last edited by Hoovey689; 02-24-20 at 10:17 AM. Reason: make sure to proofread
#2
Lexus Test Driver
Great article, reinforces a lot of what was written in 2007 on the culture of excellence that goes far deeper than (I think) any other manufacturer out there..
https://www.autonews.com/article/200...flagship-plant
https://www.autonews.com/article/200...flagship-plant
#3
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
> How does Lexus keep winning so many dependability awards?
it's easier to do that when the models are so old.
it's easier to do that when the models are so old.
#4
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Great article, reinforces a lot of what was written in 2007 on the culture of excellence that goes far deeper than (I think) any other manufacturer out there..
https://www.autonews.com/article/200...flagship-plant
https://www.autonews.com/article/200...flagship-plant
One day, I wouldn’t mind touring the Lexus plant in Canada. I hear it’s quite the something.
#5
Lead Lap
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Good point. There is a happy place in between "don't change what we've perfected" and the opposite "we constantly need new and improved". I feel the balance that Lexus has is just right for me and many Lexus lovers. But there are plenty of people who always want the bigger and better. We see that with cell phones very often.
#6
美少女戦士セーラームーン
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When I worked at a Lexus dealership, the cars with the most issues were the cars with newer engines like 4 cylinder turbo cars, along with older cars like the early LS460’s. The cars may not have the power of the Germans but they seem to be pretty reliable.
Last edited by Kira X; 02-11-20 at 09:54 AM. Reason: Forgot to capitalize the W 😏
#7
Pole Position
Eight years in a row for #1 in dependability by J D Power is an incredible streak and #1 by Consumer Reports. It is not just dependability however because Lexus is #1 in customer loyalty, customer satisfaction, lowest depreciation and third lowest in maintenance cost but by far lowest among the luxury manufacturers. Competition would give anything for #1 in any of these five categories let alone all five. I always go back to all these when someone post Lexus technology is behind.
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#8
The pursuit of F
#9
Lexus Champion
I don't recall widespread issues with the 2GR-FSE when it was introduced in 2006 (I think). 2GR-FE seemed to be pretty solid from the start as well. I don't follow the LS V8s as closely. The 2.0t seems to be quite reliable as well. The 2GR-FKS seems to be performing well.
#10
Pole Position
Eight years in a row for #1 in dependability by J D Power is an incredible streak and #1 by Consumer Reports. It is not just dependability however because Lexus is #1 in customer loyalty, customer satisfaction, lowest depreciation and third lowest in maintenance cost but by far lowest among the luxury manufacturers. Competition would give anything for #1 in any of these five categories let alone all five. I always go back to all these when someone post Lexus technology is behind.
#11
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
They have new engines, UX has a state of the art 2.0l, 3.5tt is pretty damn impressive. New transmissions. Updates to infotainment. Unparalleled hybrid technology. Case in point, how old are the Genesis engines? Mercedes V12 engines? New HL has unparalleled fuel economy, largest infotainment screen. LS has the largest heads up display....heck, the Camry is the only car that offer 300hp or a 4 cylinder that gets 34mpg combined, pretty impressive tech to be honest.
Last edited by Toys4RJill; 02-11-20 at 09:31 AM.
#12
Pole Position
You're defining "technology" primarily as engines, which is fine... not everyone will define it that way. I had a 2010 Audi S5 that had blind spot monitoring. That was not available on the LS460, obviously Lexus' flagship sedan, until 2013 (99% sure I'm right on that). When did Apple Car Play or Android Auto first show up in a Toyota or Lexus compared to other brands? In a lot of ways, Toyota plays it safe & conservative because they rely on reliability and low cost of ownership being one of the top reasons for people to stay in the family. That's one of the main reasons why I've owned Toyota products as our primary vehicles for almost 20 years. But my itch to have something more technologically advanced will not be scratched by Toyota or Lexus. Lots of other brands do it better, and do it earlier.
#13
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
You're defining "technology" primarily as engines, which is fine... not everyone will define it that way. I had a 2010 Audi S5 that had blind spot monitoring. That was not available on the LS460, obviously Lexus' flagship sedan, until 2013 (99% sure I'm right on that). When did Apple Car Play or Android Auto first show up in a Toyota or Lexus compared to other brands? In a lot of ways, Toyota plays it safe & conservative because they rely on reliability and low cost of ownership being one of the top reasons for people to stay in the family. That's one of the main reasons why I've owned Toyota products as our primary vehicles for almost 20 years. But my itch to have something more technologically advanced will not be scratched by Toyota or Lexus. Lots of other brands do it better, and do it earlier.
Lexus must have had technology at the 2010 time that was exclusive for the LS. 4 zone, 8 speeed, pre crash, that weird self parking thing. I am sure there were others.
Last edited by Toys4RJill; 02-11-20 at 09:47 AM.
#14
Lexus Test Driver
I think technology spans a wide spectrum. Just depends what one wants. So the idea that Toyota and Lexus are behind is just not true. One could pick apart any brand.
Lexus must have had technology at the 2010 time that was exclusive for the LS. 4 zone, 8 speeed, pre crash, that weird self parking thing. I am sure there were others.
Lexus must have had technology at the 2010 time that was exclusive for the LS. 4 zone, 8 speeed, pre crash, that weird self parking thing. I am sure there were others.
This is just an example from 1 other luxury manufacturer...Mercedes and Audi are comparable to BMW but outdo Lexus in tech.
#15
Lead Lap
Lexus has been quite conservative in their approach, whiles others have been moving at light speed. This is because simply their customer base demands it. For instance if mercedes decided to keep the S-class stagnant like say the LS460, with multiple refreshes instead of changing their product every x years, their demographic would jump ship immediately. Lexus owners have been vocal about keep things the same, as they prefer what they have been use to. While it may seem like i maybe making this out to be a bad thing, its really not. Mfgs have to listen to their customer base to sell their vehicles. Even without carplay, android auto, the 4th generation RX has been beating the luxury crossover market competitors.