Hi Scott,
That's interesting material you have.
When you mention the sale of military vehicles during the war, would
those not have been produced in the Axis countries in the factories that
were already in place? Or were they Made In USA for export, and, if so,
how were they delivered?
Paul H is right about the Japanese copying LBCs when they went back
into the car manufacturing business. Early Toyopets and Bluebirds and
other forgettable models were real knock-offs of postwar English models.
The American, Paul Deming, is the person who introduced American
methods of quality control, inventory control and many other practices
still used in Japan today. As an unhonored prophet in his own country,
it's ironic that the USA was not continuing the habits that proved so
sucessful for the emerging competitors.
Bob
On Tue, 26 Aug 1997 00:17:42 +0000 "Scott Gardner" <gardner@lwcomm.com>
writes:
>> << Would american manufacturers ever make a compact car if
>> the japanese hadn't done it first?
>> >>
>> > The Japanese didn't do it first.......you need to read up there,
>Trevor. The
>> > Jap industry was seeded by- you guessed it!- the British after
>WW2.
>>
>> It was my understanding that it was the Americans that sorted out
>Japanese
>> industry after WWII. The British saw to Germany, particularly VW.
>>
>> PaulH.
>>
>Read a history of the automotive market called "Car Wars" recently,
>and found some interesting stuff. Turns out that during the 40's Ford
>and GM considered themselves "international" companies, and above
>such petty squabbles as a world war, so they continued to sell
>military vehicles to the Nazis DURING the war. After the war, GM
>received compensation from the US government for damage to their
>plants in Germany from ALLIED bombing runs. Not to mention Henry
>Ford's $50,000 birthday check to Hitler. Just some of the things
>you'll NEVER see in the brochures for car companies...
>Scott
>Scott Gardner
>gardner@lwcomm.com
>www.lwcomm.com/~gardner
>
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