Tony Hoover
Dialog
Wendy Horwitz
Mel Rutter
Shannon Smith
Toshie Kitamura
Kao Yang
There are no limits—
creating the TS TECH brand
Q: There have been a lot of changes over the
past few years. What has your experience been
like?
Wendy: The biggest challenge on the commercial side
has been the rapid growth in both manpower and systems. We are working with new people while developing
our own systems.
Toshie: Sometimes I wish we could slow down a bit and
work out all the standardizations. But we are taking on
more and more. The challenge is coordination, and to
keep moving forward.
Mel: I think from the manufacturing side, the biggest
challenge for standardization is changing the old mindset.
People get used to doing things a certain way, and we
need to get them to understand that these changes are a
positive thing.
Tony: That’s true. We also now have a general training
guide for everybody. We have the time to teach and
train people correctly, and it’s made a huge difference
in turnover.
Q: More responsibility is being shifted to the U.S.
Do you get a sense of being a part of a larger
operation than before?
thought “Honda.” The biggest challenge for us is creating
to improve is because we set our targets beyond what the
the TS TECH brand. These are our seats, our technology.
customer expects. At first I had a hard time understanding
Tony: I’ve seen that happening more at the plant side as
that, but over time it sinks in.
the mentality changes and the quality improves. Each
Tony: That’s absolutely true. When there are no weld
person plays a part in making that seat and building it
issues at all out in the field, it makes you feel good that
right. Ownership has become a lot stronger.
even if we drop off a little bit, we’re not going to have to
Wendy: Our product is so personal. I cannot separate in
worry about what goes out the door.
my mind that the product we are making is going to hold
Toshie: Instead of waiting for the customer’s requests, we
families and children. We’re making something that we’ve
are proactively setting targets and taking it to the custom-
make the highest volume, and with development in the
got to be proud of and stand behind because peoples’
er. That type of service will help establish the TS TECH
U.S. we can understand what each plant is going through,
lives depend on the work that we’re doing. I try to never
brand.
and design accordingly.
forget that.
Wendy: Where the profit really gets made is all of us doing
Manager Associates from TSAM, TSUS, and TSTI sat down
with us in a town hall meeting to share their firsthand views on
how the company has changed over the past few years, the
challenges they’ve faced, and what they expect for the future.
Wendy: On the commercial side, Japan has always been
the backup supplier for the world. Now we’re becoming
the global supplier for those parts. It’s a whole new dimension for us.
Toshie: Development has also changed. The NPD* process has brought down material costs, but manpower
hasn’t reached the target yet. How to move forward to our
final target is our next challenge.
*NPD: Non-Prototype Development
Q: Customer diversification will mean big
changes. What challenges and opportunities
do you think that presents?
Tony: We’ve had representatives from several car companies come through the plant. Honda is doing well, but if
you can nail down a couple other car companies, it makes
everything more secure.
Toshie: It’s really interesting because every customer is
different. We have to adjust to what they want, and there’s
a learning curve. We have to meet those expectations.
Kao: I think it’s good that we’re venturing outside of our
own comfort zone. It’s exciting to see how other compa-
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Kao: I think so. The 2016 model Civic is the first global
nies handle development.
model for the U.S., and that’s a challenge from a manufac-
Wendy: I think all the new business requires a new way of
turing and development standpoint. It’s very exciting. We
doing business. Until now, people looked at TS TECH and
our jobs better. Sales are critical, but we can’t make the
Q: Where do you see the company going over
the next few years?
sales without all of us behind that group. We are one, and
without all of us, it doesn’t happen.
Tony: From my viewpoint plantside, the sky’s the limit.
Each month it gets better. If we find something that comes
in and it’s not working for us, we have a mindset to find
what we can do with the equipment we have to make it
better.
Wendy: I see TS TECH becoming a seat and interior
supplier sought after by OEMs. With the developments
we’re doing, the improvements we’re making, the technologies we’re going after, we are going to be a benchmark.
People are going to be coming to us.
Shannon: I agree the sky is the limit. We won a J. D.
Power award for quality because we’ve been able to train
and teach our Associates what true quality is about.
People are going to want to know what we’re doing
different. I think that says a lot for TS TECH as a whole.
Tony: Last year we had two of our sister companies use
us as their benchmark on setting up the weld department.
Instead of people coming in and pointing out what we’re
doing wrong, we have them coming in and asking how
we’re doing it right.
Mel: One other reason I think TS TECH quality continues
Shannon Smith
Seat Assembly Coordinator,
TS TECH USA CORPORATION
Tony Hoover
Weld Coordinator,
TS TECH USA CORPORATION
Kao Yang
Manager, Engineering/Quality Department,
TS TRIM INDUSTRIES INC.
Mel Rutter
Manager, Manufacturing Department,
TS TRIM INDUSTRIES INC.
Toshie Kitamura
Senior Chief Administrator, R&D/Technical Department,
TS TECH AMERICAS, INC.
Wendy Horwitz
Section Manager, CCR/Purchasing Department,
TS TECH AMERICAS, INC.
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