Engineering gods.  I’ve been a design, manufacturing, and quality engineer for a long time.  There were a few design and manufacturing companies that we religiously admired for doing the right things right – all the time.  GE with six sigma.  Boeing flying right.  Toyota for their iconic Toyota production systems.

The reality:  Each of these companies have been disrupted.  Now it is Toyota’s turn.  They have been busted for a string of quality scandals.  They allegedly falsified test reports for up to 20 years.  Not good.  Very surprising.  Hugely impactful.

Why Is this a huge deal.  For quality experts, this is the ultimate business sin.  We put Toyota on a pedestal because they made great quality products.  They invented the Toyota Production System (TPS).  They were honest.  They were transparent.  They were the good folks that we all aspired to.

They earned all this admiration.  Toyota cars were the most reliable for many years.  Well, maybe not in the future.  What up with that?  Well, Toyota’s value has slipped.  It’s quality reputation has tanked.  Investors can’t trust company management.  Why did Toyota lose its way?  Hubris?  Too global.  Too prosperous.  Who knows for sure?  What I do know is that it’s a f@cking shame.

That was then.  This is now.:  Toyota has a shareholder vote tomorrow to oust the founder’s grandson  Akio Toyoda.  This is a repudiation of their vaunted approach to business and quality.

Hard lesson learned:  Even the best can slip and do a face plant.  For us mortals, who want to do better and follow the best, we have to be less trusting.  Be arms length.  Check everything.  Don’t trust – always verify.