Matching strategies in car assembly: the BMW-Rover-Toyota complex

Abstract

This paper considers a case in which an attempt to organise a Toyota-like production regime proved to be a poor choice for an assembler seeking to evolve a model platform that would be marketed on the basis of customisation and build-to-order. The case analysis throws light on a specific phase in the history of the British car industry, but more generally it offers a basis for reconsidering the associations often made between 'flexibility' in assembly, and the defining characteristics of a Toyota-like system. The paper argues that the literature on car assembly has become desensitised to the need for careful strategic matching between marketing objectives and product supply policies because of a misdirected assumption that Japanese assemblers are flexible-assemblers. It develops this point in the context of an analysis of scheduling lock-ins and customer lead times in mixed-model assembly, illustrated by comparative assembly data.

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