Just six months ago I bought a new car and so far I have received two recall notices. So why are there so many recalls across so many product lines and services when we pay good money to buy quality? That is the subject of this observation post entry. Although we have seen recalls in food, consumer products, baby cribs, prescription and OTC drugs, and cars, I want to focus on cars. There are 40,000 deaths each year and some can be attributed to the quality of the vehicles that we drive. There was a period of time when it was mostly American made cars but now includes almost all brands and models. To begin with, we have to start with what quality really is and how important it is to manufacturers.
After the war in the 1950’s, Japan was known for exporting poorly made products and earned a reputation that was reflective of bad manufacturing practices. But, they realized to continue with business as usual would be fatal for Japan. At the time, W. Edwards Deming was attached to the post-war recovery effort, and as a statistician, he had developed what is now called Total Quality Management. It involved not only producing quality parts, but quality conscious employees. Quality was made a part of the companies’ mission statement and Japan adopted this new theory and in just 20 years was outselling American cars. Ford learned a valuable lesson in the 1970’s when they were having transmissions made in both the US and Japan.  Customers had many complaints with the US transmissions and almost none with the Japanese manufactured ones. They disassembled the two different transmissions and found that the Japanese transmissions were better made and had closer tolerances. But, it still took a long time for the US manufacturers to learn the lessons of quality.
So, what has happened and why are we seeing more recalls that ever? My initial observation is that manufacturers are introducing the newest technology and redesigning new models faster than they can safely produce a reliable car. The competition is global and the public responds to the latest and “best”. Unfortunately, we are becoming beta testers and they sell as fast as possible and wait until the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, (NHTSA) receives enough calls from consumers to issue a recall. Recalls are expensive for manufacturers so it seems logical to avoid quality problems. But, logic seldom applies to the odds of not experiencing a recall. And, the manufacturer can fight a recall notice from NHTSA. The biggest problem for consumers is that a lot can go wrong with a vehicle before a recall is issued. It takes time to take the calls, investigate, and respond to the manufacturer. And, exactly how many cars have to explode, how many people have to die, and how many stranded motorists constitute a reasonable threshold?
Granted, many recalls are simply an annoyance and require a trip to the dealer to resolve the issue. But remember the Ford Pinto killing people and exploding when struck from behind? Or the Toyotas with the sticking accelerator pedals? That cost Toyota more than a billion dollars to resolve. My recalls are more of an annoyance than a threat, but when can I be sure that I am safe?

In the last post on education we looked at the possibility that not everyone can or should go to college. There are a lot of good reasons to consider alternatives and "take the road less traveled".
When a student completes secondary school and graduates, there is a great deal of pressure to go on to college. The cultural expectation is that college will prepare the student for career success and better citizenship. Well, maybe, but it is as likely that it will lead to disappointment and a lot of  debt. Please do not consider my comments as anti-education, but more of a reality check of the cultural norm.
If a student has gone through high school with a clear understanding of what they want to do as an adult and is academically prepared, then college is a great choice. But, many graduates do not have a clue as to what they want to do, and worse, are not academically prepared. It seems to me that there are at least three factors to consider when making the choice for additional education. They are learning style, motivation, and interest. If a student learns by hands on or experiential means, then sitting in a lecture hall with a hundred other people will be at the very least difficult, and at best not a pleasant educational experience. If a student is not motivated to learn and willing to work hard to gain a specific knowledge base, then they are wasting their time and taking up valuable space in the college setting. If the student is not interested in being part of the dynamic conversation of education and being challenged, then they should consider an alternative path.
My simple observation is that the rush to go to college directly after finishing high school may be the wrong choice for students who have not been driven to succeed in a particular discipline. There is nothing wrong with waiting for a year or two to decide how to proceed. During that time, it would be a perfect opportunity to try several different types of jobs of interest. Try the trades, take some night courses at the community college, take time to learn what real life is like. Take some online courses, read a lot, follow current events, and grow in responsibility and maturity. And, there is nothing wrong with flipping burgers if you have a plan to leave that behind at some time or become a manager or franchise owner. One other quick thought: Use social media as a tool and not as a meaningless diversion. People on Facebook can live without you and you can spend more time on substance rather than wasting time on the non-productive. As always, comments are welcomed...

Please have a great and happy Fourth of July and always be safe. Ken...