Gary Gathen

In 1984 the Fremont, Calif. GM assembly plant shuttered under the strain of horrible management-labor relationships. Toyota offered to reopen the plant in a joint venture with GM implementing its Toyota Production System. Tool and diemaking shops can apply the same NUMMI concepts to revitalize their companies and reinvent themselves.

To achieve a competitive position against low-cost countries, tool- and diemakers must reduce costs by at least 25 percent and shorten lead-time by about 50 percent.