"Toyota has always been the least vertically integrated of the automobile companies. It was a networked company of autonomous and semi-autonomous suppliers as far back as the 1950s; some have worked with Toyota since its inception. Its managers were adept at managing supplier relationships to make certain everyone understood the company’s goals. Much has been written on this point. It’s unlikely that Toyota’s managers simply forgot what had been widely hailed as one of the company’s most important attributes."