Designed for Learning: A Tale of Two Auto Plants

Abstract

The Toyota-GM joint venture, NUMMI, and Volvo's Uddevalla plant represent two different ways of organizing the labor-intensive production of standardized products, in this case, auto assembly. NUMMI is based on the Japanese lean-production model, whereas Uddevalla has been called a human-centered model. Which model can best stimulate continuous improvement while maintaining worker morale? The authors argue that the answer is, emphatically, NUMMI.