Linkage of Ford Production System and QS-9000 quality standard

Competition in the automotive industry has always been rather intense. As companies strive to achieve "lean" operations, the manufacturing strategies have focused on reducing cost, using less resources, improving quality, and most importantly, exceeding customer expectations. In light of planned change such as the Ford Production System strategy, component manufacturers are also faced with an imposed, automotive industry quality standard known as QS9000. There are some common linkages between the two changes but there also may be some differences. A discussion brings to light how companies seeking "lean" manufacturing can deal with "imposed" quality standards.