Sixteen of the 17 buildings were occupied by suppliers,
including Delphi, Lear, and Goodyear. These suppliers delivered preassembled modules
(which comprised 85% of the final value of each car) to GM’s building for assembly. In a
process new to the industry, the suppliers acted as a team to build a single module comprising
the motor, transmission, fuel lines, rear axle, brake-fluid lines, and exhaust system, which
was then installed as one piece. GM hoped that this manufacturing strategy would enable it