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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsIn Lieu of Money, Toyota Donates Efficiency to New York Charity
The Food Bank for New York City is the countrys largest anti-hunger charity, feeding about 1.5 million people every year. It leans heavily, as other charities do, on the generosity of businesses, including Target, Bank of America, Delta Air Lines and the New York Yankees. Toyota was also a donor. But then Toyota had a different idea. "
Instead of a check, it offered kaizen.
A Japanese word meaning continuous improvement, kaizen is a main ingredient in Toyotas business model and a key to its success, the company says. It is an effort to optimize flow and quality by constantly searching for ways to streamline and enhance performance. Put more simply, it is about thinking outside the box and making small changes to generate big results.
Toyotas emphasis on efficiency proved transformative for the Food Bank.
At a soup kitchen in Harlem, Toyotas engineers cut down the wait time for dinner to 18 minutes from as long as 90. At a food pantry on Staten Island, they reduced the time people spent filling their bags to 6 minutes from 11. And at a warehouse in Bushwick, Brooklyn, where volunteers were packing boxes of supplies for victims of Hurricane Sandy, a dose of kaizen cut the time it took to pack one box to 11 seconds from 3 minutes. "
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/27/nyregion/in-lieu-of-money-toyota-donates-efficiency-to-new-york-charity.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&
freeplessinseattle
(3,508 posts)that's a good start.
Now I feel even better about my purchase (though used from owner), older model, but Corollas have a great rep, so I've been told.
damnedifIknow
(3,183 posts)and I've heard it's hard to kill a Toyota so good purchase.
freeplessinseattle
(3,508 posts)Even more reassuring after reading this article! Yay for Toyota
WinkyDink
(51,311 posts)NV Whino
(20,886 posts)So many nonprofits are inefficient in use of time, materials and person power.