Founders · Jun 28The Practical Genius of Honda
Sent back 47 of the 50 hand-made piston rings Honda sold it, which pushed Honda toward automation and precision manufacturing.
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Company · Other
Toyota
A Japanese automaker and an early customer of Honda's piston rings.
In short
Toyota shows up as both a customer and a model. It returned 47 of 50 hand-made piston rings Honda sold it, which pushed Honda toward automation and precision manufacturing. Its factory operations are cited as possible process power, and its chief engineer holds authority over a whole car line with no direct reports. Lesson: demanding customers sharpen quality, and one owner of trade-offs can keep a product coherent.
What was said about Toyota
Teams and execution2
- Treat operational excellence as a treadmill, not a power▶ 49:40TSMC's fab bring-up knowledge and Toyota's manufacturing are cited as possible cases of process power.
Lenny's Podcast · Business strategy with Hamilton Helmer (author of 7 Powers) - Give one chief engineer authority over product trade-offs▶ 2:04:26Inside Toyota the car is called by the chief engineer's name rather than by the model name.Lenny's Podcast · Reflections on a movement | Eric Ries (creator of the Lean Startup methodology)
Building the company1
Founders · Jun 28Lenny's Podcast · May 5Business strategy with Hamilton Helmer (author of 7 Powers)
Its factory operations are cited as a possible case of process power, since they are complex and opaque to rivals.
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Lenny's Podcast · Oct 29Reflections on a movement | Eric Ries (creator of the Lean Startup methodology)
Its chief engineer has moral authority over an entire car line with no direct reports, making trade-off decisions between departments. The car is named after the chief engineer inside the company.
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