PLANNING FOR QUALITY AND
PRODUCTIVITY
(A NISSAN CASE STUDY)
GROUP 3
BSBM311
Members:
Bocado, Jelyn Cuizon Morales, Joseph Mari
Ramirez, Jeriejoice Macalindong, Emmanuel Kristian
Batingan, Bea Rebecca Elopre, John Paul
Calderon, John Kevin Paul
1. Enumerate and describe, with examples, which critical components of total
quality management did Nissan use in its operations.
- Cost Leadership – the objective of this strategy is to become the lowest cost
producer in the industry. This strategy is usually associated with large scale
businesses offering standard products with relatively little differentiation that
perfectly acceptable to the majority of customers. By lowering the cost and
still maintain a competitive quality it can bring in more profit to company. It
can be also use for a competitive advantage. Nissan is a perfect example,
producing products that have a high quality with a cheaper price. Polishing
every detail, Nissan assures its consumer that their products are worth it to
buy.
- Design – effective product strategy requires selecting, designing, and
defining a product and the operations manager must build a product develop
system that has the ability to conceive. Nissan operates other UK sites and
this one’s main focus is on design; Nissan Design Europe (NDE) supports
design teams responsible for aspects such as color and trim design, digital
design, modeling, design strategy, and communications.
- Just-in-time management (JIT) – a management system wherein the
material or the product are produced and acquired just a few hours before
they are put to use. The success of JIT depends on how the company
manages their suppliers. Nissan motor has JIT system where they produced
specific vehicles and other components right just in time, to meet the
demands for them.
2. Research on Nissan’s vision and mission. How did they incorporate these in the
company?
- Nissan’s vision: Enriching people’s lives, building trust with our employees,
customer dealers, partners, shareholders, and the world at large.
- Nissan’s mission: To provide unique and innovative automotive products and
services that deliver superior measurable values to all stakeholders in alliance
with Renault.
3. What are the core values that can be seen in Nissan’s total quality management?
Use examples to defend your answers.
- Safety Technologies – Nissan aims to have the number of fatal and serious
injuries from accident. The vehicle activates various barriers according to
circumstances, from normal driving to post accident, to provide continuous
support against dangerous situation.
- Education – educating and training their employees.
- Consistency – TQM making customers satisfaction top priority.
Given this goal, everything the organization and its people do is focused on
creating high quality.
4. Describe how Nissan used just in time management to ensure quality in its
products.
- Nissan used just in time management to ensure the quality in its products by
aiming to primarily lessen flow times within production as well as the response
times from the suppliers, and to customers by initially gathering assembled parts
before they come up to the production. Vehicles that have been taken by
customers including its ingredients are produced just-in-time the particular
vehicle is being demanded. Furthermore, other components such as rear-view
mirrors, head-lights, radiator supports, bumpers, fenders, doors, hoods, step
bumpers and other internal car device can be established with the least amount
of money and minimum amount of development or work-in-progress.
5. Based on the case, how does Nissan define quality?
- For team building, Nissan aims to be recognized by customers as a brand with
top-level quality. Nissan listens to customers and reflects their feedback in every
process throughout the company in its pursuit of customer satisfaction. Quality is
a means of displaying how successfully Nissan interacts with its customers and
exceeds customer expectations as well as bringing out the best in both people
and machines.
