To address the problems on operations, McDonald instituted a problem of Japanese-inspired quality control. Before long, there were 1,700 quality terms examining every aspect of the business for ways to improve operations. As a result, unscheduled downtime fell from 18% to 4% and customer complaints fell by 60%.
Because of FPL’s achievements, the Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers awarded the company the prestigious Deming Prize for quality in 1989, making it the first non-Japanese company to receive that award. At the time, FPL was viewed as “one of the best-managed U.S. corporations.”