Mr. Don Boncamper and Mr. Anthony Nisbett, General Managers of TDC’s St. Kitts and Nevis Automotive Divisions respectively, each received an all-expense-paid trip to Japan where they visited the cities of Tokyo, Nagoia and Kyoto. They also visited one of the factories of the Toyota Motor Corporation where they witnessed the manufacturing process of several vehicles, discussed issues and concerns that faces our local market with top officials, and explored the possibility of modifying future models aimed at satisfying the specific needs of the Caribbean market.
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Mr. Don Boncamper and Mr. Anthony Nisbett, General Managers of TDC Automotive Divisions, st. Kitts & Nevis, with colleagues from Jamaica and Belize on their prize trip to Japan for the 2007 ICHIBAN Sales Incentive Program
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“We were able to look at the way Japanese workers approached their work in the Toyota factory we visited”, said Mr. Don Boncamper in recounting some of the details of the trip. “The organisation and planning of work is completely different to the modules in use in the Caribbean”. He was amazed at the efficiency and effectiveness of the “Just-in-time” (JIT) process as it was implemented in the production of 1,000 vehicles almost simultaneously in a factory that produced 36,000 vehicles per month.
Mr. Boncamper observed that the workers took more frequent and shorter breaks, which positively impacted the quality of the work done as well as the volume of work produced. He said that “we (Mr. Nisbett and I) were awe-inspired while looking at the robots at the beginning of the assembly line, reaching into the vehicles, welding and putting in different parts in a type of synchronized ballet. At one point, I even got a rash of goose bumps.” Mr. Boncamper noted that some of these practices can be implemented within St. Kitts and Nevis to improve quality of service, waste reduction and, by extension, a reduction in operation and other costs.
Winning the ICHIBAN Sales Incentive Programme for 2007 is consistent with TDC’s mission to “full commitment to total customer satisfaction, employee excellence though participation and training.” In this regard, we congratulate the staff of the TDC Automotive Division in achieving this award, yet again. This win comes at a time when TDC’s services to the citizens of St. Kitts and Nevis are being rated above par. It also comes at a time when the local economy is being transformed from a sugar industry monoculture into the provision of services with a concentration on tourism. Kudos to the TDC Automotive Division!
