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JAPAN GUIDE: Toyota Motor Company

Visiting Toyota

Living in Okazaki, only a 15 minute drive away from the headquarters of Japan's largest car maker you can't help but notice the roads are dominated by one make of car - Toyota.

Toyota Motor Corporation is Japan's largest and the world's fourth largest carmaker (after General Motors, Ford, and DaimlerChrysler). The Toyota Motor Co. Ltd was first established in 1937 as a spin-off from Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, one of the world's leading manufacturers of weaving machinery which were run by Japan's "King of Inventors" Sakichi Toyoda. The patent rights to one of his machines was sold to Platt Brothers (UK) and provided the money for the development and test-building of Toyota's first automobiles.

Production systems were improved in the late 1950s, culminating in the establishment of the 'Toyota Production System.' It became known as TPS in 1970 but was established much earlier by Taiichi Ohno. Based on the principles of Jidoka (Automation), Just-in-time (Lean Production) and Kaizen (Continuous Improvement), the system is a major factor in the reduction of inventories and defects in the plants of Toyota and its suppliers, and it is a part of Toyota's operations across the World.

Toyota launched its first small car (SA Model) in 1947. Production of vehicles outside Japan began in 1959 at a small plant in Brazil, and continued with a growing network of overseas plants. Toyota localizes its operations, and also customizes the vehicles to provide customers with many models to choose from. Many of the models you will see in Japan are not available in other countries. And of course in Japan, Lexus is just Toyota.

In Aichi prefecture, the economy is partially supported by Toyota Motor Company, its subsidiary companies and the other companies it supports and deals with through its operations. The bulk of the design, research and development and other key jobs are based here, so there is more stability in times than in many other parts of the country.

Today, Toyota is the largest Japanese automotive manufacturer, producing more than 4.5 million vehicles per year, equivalent to one every six seconds. In the time it has taken you to read this paragraph, they have produced at least another two or three cars! The other fascinating thing about the Toyota factory tour is that you can see different models being made on the same production line.

The future:

The company is also striving to produce more environmentally friendly cars and a hybrid-powered (gas and electric) sedan -- the Prius --  is already on the market in the US and Europe. You can see little electric cars zipping around the HQ and factory test track, but there aren't many on the road yet. Toyota is also adding extensive electronics and navigation systems to the vehicles.

Visiting Toyota:

Toyota provides guided tours in Japanese or English of its plants and facilities for groups and entrance to the Toyota Kaikan Exhibition Hall, which tells the story of Toyota, is free. Admission is also free to Sakichi Toyoda Memorial House, dedicated to the late founder of Toyota. The quid pro quo is that you are going to get the full treatment from the Public Relations officers.  The PR officers appear to be handpicked from the ranks of Japan's most beautiful women, who are then trained to soft sell you the merits of Toyota cars. Maybe this is why all of Yamasa's vehicles are from Toyota??? But I digress.

The Toyota Automobile Museum, which has a vast array of cars from past and present, and the Commemorative Museum of Art and Technology  have a 500 Yen (each) admission fee. For more details on opening hours etc, call the Automobile Museum on 0561-63-5151, Commemorative Museum of Art and Technology  (052-551-6111), Kaikan Exhibition Hall (0565-88-8811) and the Sakichi Toyoda Memorial House (053-576-0064) in Japanese only.

Sources:

http://www.hoovers.com/co/capsule/9/0,2163,41889,00.html
http://public.wsj.com/sn/y/SB991777379849331655.html
http://www.global.toyota.com/

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