Quality in Manufacturing and Service

During the late 1970s and early 1980s the United States received a rude awakening on the importance of quality. Foreign competition, particularly from the Japanese, resulted in the loss of significant market share for many American companies. For example, in 1980, Detroit's share of the U.S. auto market was 71.3 percent; by 1991 it declined to 62.5 percent. Japan now supplies over onethird of the world's demand. The percentage of U.S.-made computers purchased in the United States dropped from 94 percent in 1979 to 66 percent in 1989. Machine tool, electronics, steel, and other industries faced similar fates.