"Grover C. McCoury III" > wrote in message
...
> By Micheline Maynard
> International Herald Tribune
>
> December 27, 2006
>
> (Detroit) The new chief executive of Ford Motor, which is struggling to
> bounce back from one of the worst crises in its history, met last week in
> Tokyo with the chairman of Toyota Motor, which is poised to become the
> world's biggest auto maker next year.
>
> Ford's chief executive, Alan Mulally, and Mark Fields, the head of Ford
> operations for the Americas, attended the meeting last week with Toyota's
> chairman, Fujio Cho, and other top Toyota executives, senior officers at
> both companies said Tuesday, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
>
> Toyota issued a statement Wednesday describing the meeting as a courtesy
> call, but did not say what was discussed.
>
> "We held talks at the request of Ford," the president of Toyota, Katsuaki
> Watanabe, said in Nagoya, according to Bloomberg News, citing Kyodo News.
>
> Toyota and Ford officials, as well as the Japanese news media that first
> reported on the meeting, indicated that the talks had focused on
developing
> environmentally friendly technology, like hybrid-electric and hydrogen
fuel
> systems, as well as on ways that Toyota could help Ford improve its
> manufacturing efficiency.
>
> The meeting of Mulally, Fields and Cho follows talks held this summer
> between General Motors, Renault of France and Nissan of Japan.
>
> But Ford and Toyota are not believed to have discussed anything that
> resembled the joint purchasing or car- production ideas that were the
> subject of GM's talks with Renault and Nissan, which ended in October
> without any agreement.
>
> Ford and Toyota have an association that stretches back to the 1950s, when
> Ford allowed managers from Toyota, which was trying to regroup after World
> War II, to study the operations at its giant Rouge complex in Dearborn,
> Michigan.
>
> The visits helped Taichi Ohno develop the Toyota production system, which
> emphasizes driving out waste, fostering worker involvement and making
> continuous improvements on the factory floor.
>
> Toyota also came to Ford in the 1980s when it was looking for an American
> partner with which to open its first plant in the United States.
>
> The two companies held brief discussions that could have led to a joint
> Ford- Toyota venture to build a version of the midsize Camry for each
> company. Instead, Toyota entered into a joint venture with GM that
recently
> celebrated its 20th anniversary.
>
> Now, Toyota and Ford may work together again as Ford tries to regroup from
a
> third-quarter loss of $5.8 billion in North America.
>
> Cho, who worked under Ohno and ran Toyota's plant in Georgetown, Kentucky,
> before becoming its chief executive and subsequently its chairman, is
> concerned about the financial problems facing Ford, an executive at Toyota
> said.
>
> "If he can do anything to help them out of this, he would like to," the
> executive said.
>
> Analysts have said that Ford probably had little to offer Toyota in terms
of
> cash or know-how, though Toyota could be seeking access to Ford's hybrid
> technology. Rather, they said, Toyota was probably hoping to deflect
> criticism from Washington as it seeks to overtake GM.
>
> "If it forges a relationship with Ford, Toyota is probably hoping it will
be
> seen as a goodwill move," said Chester Dawson, author of "Lexus: The
> Relentless Pursuit." He added, "Toyota is wary of inciting trade
friction."
>
> James Womack, co-author of "The Machine That Changed The World," which
> examines Japanese automakers' American plants, said, "Toyota has nothing
to
> gain, either politically or in the market, by letting Ford fail fast."
>
> Toyota, the world leader in hybrid- electric cars, already licenses hybrid
> technology to Ford, which sells a hybrid version of the Ford Escape, a
small
> sport utility vehicle.
>
> Ford has its own hybrid program, but it cut back on hybrid development
this
> year when it decided to place more emphasis on developing flexible fuel
> vehicles that can run on gasoline and another type of fuel, like ethanol.
>
> Ford buys parts for its hybrid vehicles from Aisin Seiki, a supplier that
is
> partly owned by Toyota and part of its global network of parts-making
> companies. Ford and Aisin have had disputes over the number of parts Aisin
> was willing to make available for Ford vehicles.
>
> Mulally is a student of the Toyota production system and used a form of it
> on assembly lines at the Boeing, where he was head of the commercial
> airplanes division before joining Ford in September.
>
> Mulally and Fields flew from the United States to Japan and returned
> immediately afterward, people with direct knowledge of their trip said
> Tuesday. During an interview Friday, Mulally gave no hint that he had made
> the trip, which is a round-trip flight lasting about 24 hours.
>
> The long journey reflects the value Mulally places on Ford's relationship
> with Toyota, according to a company officer with knowledge of his views.
> Only a year ago, Bill Ford Jr., then Ford's chief executive, sounded a
more
> competitive note.
>
> "My goal is to fight Toyota and everybody else and come out on top," Ford
> said during an interview with Time magazine, adding: "I'm not ceding
> anything to Toyota. They're an excellent company, and they're a terrific
> competitor, but I look forward to taking them on."
>
> Yet another $.02 worth from a proud owner of a 1970 Mustang Mach 1 @
> http://community.webshots.com/album/18644819fHAehGJAjt
>
>

Once ford cuts away the fat brought about by decades of union demands and
managment excess,
they will be back on track.Never be 1st but at least a viable competitor.
I'm sure its gonna hurt a lot of people before it gets better.
The auto industry is NOW no different than any other job that pays you on
performance.
Make good stuff at a good price and they will come.
I know easier said than done!