Driving Honda

" A journalist's inside look at what makes Honda the most consistently innovative and effective automaker. In recent years Toyota has received more than its fair share of attention for its "lean" manufacturing model, its sales triumphs, and its infamous recalls. But when it comes to consistent excellence, archrival Honda is more admirable, and more interesting. Award-winning journalist Jeffrey Rothfeder digs deep into Honda's culture, management, and global strategy to find what makes the company tick. He offers a behind-the-scenes look at its revolutionary factory in Lincoln, Alabama, a paradigm of Honda's unique flexible manufacturing system. At Lincoln, several different types of cars can be produced on a single assembly line any given hour, and the compact plant manufactures up to 300,000 vehicles and engines a year, making it one of the world's most productive. Drawing on access to dozens of highlevel Honda executives, Rothfeder identifies the three core principles that every Honda employee shares, and shows how the company's flexible manufacturing model, unique supply chain management techniques, and unorthodox (and contentious) daily brainstorming meetings are just a few keys to its success. Rothfeder makes a convincing case that Honda should serve as the model for a manufacturing rebirth in America. "-- "In recent years Toyota has received more than its fair share of attention for its "lean" manufacturing model, its sales triumphs, and its infamous recalls.