Broadcasters' Eye S2011E01 - Laugh It Away and Say Goodbye

Without the work of numerous subcontractors, the manufacturing of Toyota cars, Japan's top brand, would simply not be possible. This documentary takes an up-close and personal look at a tiny Toyota subcontractor, four steps down the supply chain. In a 7.5 square-meter factory, the owner, a lively woman, works with two other housewives who live nearby. Their work consists of gluing small parts together. All seems well in this cozy factory until one day in the fall of 2008, a global recession is triggered by the fall of Lehman Brothers. Suddenly, sales of Toyota cars dry up. How does the owner of this tiny factory deal with the crisis? By closing down. However, despite the grim reality, the factory is always filled with laughter. What can we learn from this upbeat story of business closure?