Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg?

Denso may be unfamiliar to you, but I suggest you are familiar with their products. Your car is likely heated or cooled by Denso. Founded in 1949, the company is the world's second-largest supplier to automotive OEMs by revenue (as of 2018). A lesser-known fact is that a Denso employee invented QR codes in 1994. Known initially as Nippon Electrical Equipments Co. Ltd. Denso was founded as a stand-alone company separate from Toyota Motor Company. Later, they changed their name to Nippon Denso, and today they are known as Denso. 

Roots of Total Quality Control (TQC) in Toyota

It was in 1954 that Denso opened a training center based on the principle of "Monozukuri is Hitozukuri" (roughly translated as our performance depends on our people)." This was eight years before the Toyota Production System was introduced in 1962. Denso also pioneered Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), the father of the Andon Chord. In a process, TPM ensures that each piece of equipment is always able to perform its required function. All employees must participate, including maintenance personnel, line managers, manufacturing engineers, quality experts, and operators. Operators participate in routine maintenance, improvement projects, and simple repairs with TPM. 

During the late 1950s and 60s, Denso began developing a philosophy of Total Quality Control (TQC), continuously improving quality and kaizen. During this period, they focused on extending quality control techniques to all facets of the product design and engineering phases. Denso won the Deming prize in 1961, four years before Toyota did in 1965.

Eiji Toyoda, Toyota's executive vice president, was impressed by what Denso had done and suggested implementing TQC for the third generation of the Corona. The second generation Corona in 1960 had known quality issues. Toyota invited several TQC experts, specifically Kaoru Ishikawa, at the time the president of the Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers (JUSE). Ishikawa was one of the critical influencers and translators of Dr. Deming's management concepts in Japan. From 1963 to 1965, Toyota implemented a plan to introduce TQC throughout the company. They ultimately submitted and won the Deming prize in 1965 for their efforts. 

TPS has had a profound impact on world economies. However, the question is, how much of TPS was influenced by Denso's earlier ideas and work? How much of Denso traces its roots back to Sakichi Toyoda, who founded Toyoda Loom Works, and his son Kiichiro Toyoda, who founded Toyota Motor Corporation? Was it a chicken or an egg?

Some source references:

https://www.carexpert.com.au/car-news/inside-the-suppliers-denso

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/My-Personal-History/Shoichiro-Toyoda/Shoichiro-Toyoda-14-A-culture-of-quality

https://www.denso.com/global/en/about-us/corporate-info/profile/heritage/

https://www.carexpert.com.au/car-news/inside-the-suppliers-denso