Explain the concept of "quality gates" at the Cambridge plant of Lexus with an example

Answer 1

At the Cambridge plant, Lexus has taken quality control to a new level, with the introduction of "quality gates": checkpoints where items found to be of particular concern to customers (such as flawless vertical paint surfaces and the fit of headlights into the body of the vehicle) are noted and evaluated. At the welding area's quality gate, for example, welds are tested with hammer and chisel and alignments measured with jigs. Team members certify each vehicle's weld integrity by applying their initials in bright colors. These personal testimonials to care and quality will ride with the vehicles for their lifetimes, albeit under coats of paint or hidden away from the customer's eye. Then, at the end of the welding process, the bodies receive an even closer inspection, distinguished by that special human touch that makes Lexus so rare among car companies. Under an angled roof made up of light tubes, team members sweep their hands carefully across every inch of the vehicles' exteriors. With small, black abrasive squares in their gloved hands, they smooth out any remaining spots or irregularities.