The Famous Ford Study of Mazda Transmissions - Can the characteristic be measured?

[Sidney Vianna]

I remember the Ford-Mazda story as the epitomy of the new quality movement.

I also remember a story about a japanese pump manufacturer who received their first American order for 100 pumps with an allowed quality level of 2 rejects per 100.

This puzzled the Japanese greatly but when the order arrived in the states the customer found one pallet of 98 good pumps and a separate package with two rejects specially made for the order as the Japanese Company hadn't made a defect in years.

Does anyone else remember this story?

This gif file captures the essence of it.

 

[Caster]

I tell it like it's true!

I was reading through this 'Oldie but Goodie'. The study was a 'big deal' in my early quality days. Just out of curiosity, how many of you have heard of this study?

Gettin old I guess, I use all these stories in my training (true or not, no one ever questions them)



Ford Batavia - I have an Ontario Centre for Automotive Parts Technology SPC Manual from 1985, (oh..my..golly) and there it is on page 3. OCAPT seems to have turned into a bookstore, a shame, this is an EXCELLENT manual.



I don't know where this bit came from, but I tell a story about someone meeting a Ford engineer who was really unhappy about this story, not the fact that there was a problem, but that no one ever gives them credit for finding the problem and fixing it!

 

[Sirlard]

I first heard the Ford story when I was with GE Medical Systems back in 1985. It was told in a Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing class given by outside instructors. They added the twist that when Ford started to do the actual measurements of the transmission parts, Ford thought they had problems with the measuring device as they were not getting any variation on the Mazda parts. I have told the story myself as it was told to me.

 

[RosieA]

I've never heard any of these stories, however, I have had to replace Ford transmissions twice.

However, don't ask me about my 1973 Mazda RX2 either! I'm still Pi**ed off about the money I sank in that baby!

 

[Statistical Steven]

One thing I have also heard about Toyotas is that they use a fairly small number of unique bolts (fasteners). American manufacturers tend to be departmentalized, such that the engine department uses different bolts than the transmission engineers than the . . .

This is true, and the "logic" that has been told to me by several auto folks it that American Car manufacturers use many different bolt sizes to deter theft. If you look at the most stolen vehicles, it turns out many are Japanese, and because parts from a 2000 car work on a 2003 car. Since Japanese manufacturers simplfied the design, they made it more desirable for theft.

 

[prabhudvp]

prabhudvp

I think there is an example in Jurans hand book

 

[Marc]

Re: The Famous Ford Study of Mazda Transmissions - Can the characteristic be measured

This is true, and the "logic" that has been told to me by several auto folks it that American Car manufacturers use many different bolt sizes to deter theft. If you look at the most stolen vehicles, it turns out many are Japanese, and because parts from a 2000 car work on a 2003 car. Since Japanese manufacturers simplfied the design, they made it more desirable for theft.

I've never heard that different bold sizes were purposely designed in to prevent theft in US cars. What I have seen is that the most stolen cars are typically the most popular sellers.

Has anyone else heard the different bolt sizes to prevent (deter) theft theory?

 

[harry]

Re: The Famous Ford Study of Mazda Transmissions - Can the characteristic be measured

Exactly what is happening over in this part of the world, Marc! Where there is demand, somebody will fill in the supply. Not only demand is there but second-hand parts for popular models fetched better prices and therefore worth the effort.

Regards.

 

[chergh - 2008]

Re: The Famous Ford Study of Mazda Transmissions - Can the characteristic be measured

Well if your stealing cars getting chased by the police is a likely outcome and given the consequences of getting caught you really would want a reliable car wouldn't you

 

[Statistical Steven]

Re: The Famous Ford Study of Mazda Transmissions - Can the characteristic be measured

Just to clarify...the comment was made that American Cars used different sized bolts and parts from year to year making change over very costly. Additionally, since the same parts were used in multi-years for the Japanese cars, they were more likely to end up in a chop shop because the parts could be sold and used in cars from multiple years. It was an undesirable outcome of the simplified design, though not something that US car makers knew.