Case Study 1 Gears, Inc. Bill Jo Willams is the new plant manager for Gears, Inc, a fifty years old, $100 milliom gear manufacturer. Stockholders and corporate leadership are unhappy because while other divisions are earning a return of 15 percent, Gear, Inc. has averaged under 3 percent return for the past two years. Changing management has not seem to improve the results. Gear Inc. is number one customer averaging over 80 percent of sales for Gear, Inc., is so unhappy the have placed Gears, Inc. on probation and have threatened to take their business to a foreign manufacturer due to poor quality and late shipment. In the past six months two mergers of competitors have occurred, which are recognized leader in quality in the field and would like to expand market share. Gears, Incs. Knows it has problems and pressure to meet the shipments' deadlines, so they have ordered more overtime in order to reach them. Although, management recognizes the $3 millions in scrapped parts and paying over $15,500 late fines this year indicates quality problems, the new plant manager does not want to release employee from working on their machines in order to attend quality improvement classes available through their Employee Improvement Department. The president, who comments he doesn't read book" and he doesn't think attending some soft course on continuous quality improvement" is anything but another reason to get further behind in the meeting their schedules. The manufacturing manager says the meeting customers' expectation is enough, don't worry about exceeding expectations or doing more than the minimum required. Questions 1) How would you respond to the president, plant manager, manufacturing manager, and employee involvement coordinator in an upcoming quality issues meeting? 2) What information would you share? 3) What would you be willing to do or provide 4) What will happen to Gears, Inc. If corrective action is not taken? 5) What will happen to Gears, Inc. If corrective action is taken