China Speed Isn't New: What a 1993 Binder Says About Automotive Culture

The Automotive Leaders Podcast · Sep 3, 2026 · 19m

We keep talking about China speed as if it were a new discovery. Early supplier involvement is presented as a fresh idea. Consultants are back in the building with slick decks about taking time out of the process, and the industry is nodding along as if none of us have seen this before. Jan has seen it before, so she went digging in her basement and came back with proof.

A facilitator's guide from Allied Signal, dated 1993. Total Quality through Speed. One page asks the exact question the industry is asking again right now: What's the cause for the pause? Simplify, eliminate, integrate…