When financial journalist Jeffrey Rothfeder set out to understand why globalization has failed, he got pulled into the story of Honda, a company that has thrived as a multinational. In more than 60 years in business, Honda has never lost money.
Its profit margins are the highest in the industry and its factories among the most productive. Rothfeder talked with The Washington Post about "Driving Honda," in which he explores the enduring culture established by company founder Soichiro Honda, a perfectionist who embraced mistakes as a way to learn and improve.
He also goes inside Honda's plant in Lincoln, Ala., a model of flexible manufacturing.
The following was edited for length and clarity.
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