_{I only need help with exercise 1 A and B.}

Assignment Tasks

The overall purpose of this assignment is to use teamwork to assess the value of the Toyota Production System to Toyota Motor Corporation. The assessment time period begins with Toyota's decision to produce the Lexus RX 330 in Canada in 2000 and continues to the present day.

First study theContent/Week 10topic,Important Information on the Toyota Production System. See also theContent/Week 10references onGrid AnalysisandDecision Trees.

Then address the following four exercises:

Exercise 1: Making a Critical Assessment of the Toyota Production System (TPS) Today

a. Demonstrate your group's basic understanding of the TPSby 1) defininganyeightof the TPS terms found athttp://www.toyotageorgetown.com/terms.asp, and 2)applyingthem to one or more of your group members' own companies.

For example, the TPS term Pokayokecan be defined as an approach to create mistake proofing through use of devices that detect or prevent production errors. At a software development firm, pokayoke might be applied through a modular development process that includes extensive software module testing before proceeding to module integration and then total system testing.

b. Describe the TPS today.What are its purposes? Does it contribute significantly to Toyota's profitability? Has it been copied by other motor vehicle manufacturers?Why or why not?

Exercise 2: Use of a Grid Analysis (Weighted Scoring Model) toHelp Make the North American Plant Location Decision for the RX 330

This exercise illustrates how when deciding among two or more competing plant location options, various decision factors (which can typically be characterized as exogenous - in a company's external environment - or endogenous - internal to the company) can be qualitatively identified, and how these factors can then be weighted to obtain an overall score for each competing location option.

a. List the factorsyour group considers key to theToyota Motor Manufacturing Canada(TMMC):The Lexus RX 330 LineNorth American plant location decision, identifying these factors as eitherexogenous(external)orendogenous (internal),weighting themusing your team's best judgment (stating any relevant assumptions or constraints), andassigning two scoresto each factor: one for production of the Lexus RX 330 at TMMC, and one for production at a Toyota factory in the USA.

b.Using the scores from your team's weighted scoring model and working with regard to Toyota's management approaches of Ringo Sho and Nemawashi,makeand supportyour recommendation for the RX 330 North American plant location - at TMMCora factory in the USA.

Exercise 3: Determine the Initial RX 330 Production Capacity for Toyota Motor Manufacturing of Canada (TMMC)

This exercise illustrates how using a decision tree, determination of the best production capacity option can be supported from among several possible capacity options based on the provided probable market demand and expected costs/payoffs of events that influence the options.

It is spring 2000, andTMMC has indeed just been chosen to produce the new Lexus RX 330 line, with the first cars deliverable in 2003. Toyota must now determine the amount of annual production capacity it should build at TMMC.

Toyota's goal is to maximize the profit from the RX 330 line over the five years from 2003-2007. These vehicles will sell for an average of $37,000 and incur a mean unit production cost of $28,000 (here, $ = the Canadian dollar).

10,000 units of annual production capacity can be built for $50M (M=million) with additional blocks of 5,000 units of annual capacity each costing $15M. Each block of 5,000 units of capacity will also cost $5M per year to maintain, even if the capacity is unused.

Assume that the number of units actually sold each year will be the lesser of the demand and the production capacity.

Toyota Marketing has provided three vehicle initial estimated demand scenarios with associated probabilities as follows:

Demand

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

Probability

Low

10,000

10,500

11,000

11,500

12,000

0.25

Moderate

15,000

16,000

17,000

18,000

19,000

0.50

High

20,000

24,000

26,000

28,000

30,000

0.25

Initial

a. To maximize profit earned during this period, which production capacity should TMMC in 2000 decide to build - 10,000, 15,000, 20,000, 25,000, or 30,000 cars?Please justify your choice.

The group may use the following decision tree, developed by Toyota operations analysts in Toyota City, Japan:

b. What are the weaknesses or limitations in this analysis? How might they be eliminated or at least reduced?

c. It is now 2018. Please do online research to learn how well the RX 330/350has actually done in the North American market.Is its quality today rated as high as if it were made in Japan?

Exercise 4: Assessment of Toyota's Current Regional Production Strategy

North America

Source:www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/na.htm,

a. After doing necessary online research online,documentand evaluatethe distribution of Toyota production facilities in North America.Here be sure to include Mexico.

b. Has Toyota been wise, or not, with this distribution of North American production?Please explain your answer.

END