Toyota is known for quality and reliability, but who does this? Here’s what we learned.
Imagine a car that actually pays you back when you buy it and drive it for years. Maybe it returns you the resale value. Maybe it takes more than 300,000 miles. Maybe he will never turn around. Or, perhaps, it does all those things.
Here’s Toyota’s magic and why the company built its cars, trucks and SUVs in the US in the last 40 years, and it has become one of her favorite car brands on the road.
But what makes a Toyota such a great brand?
This story is 100% explored by man and written on the basis of the actual knowledge of the first person, with great experienceIs it and the competence of the car and truck theme; Also, I was a Toyota guest for this trip, but all the opinions are my own.
It begins with perfection of philosophy and process
Camrys on the Robots assembly line – Credit: Scotty Reiss
Last week, I was part of another group where I participated in the Toyota manufacturing device in Princeton, Indiana and Georget Town, Kentucky. I say “another” because travel is a common thing; Collective companies are open to public excursions, and many people sign a tour of the company’s Heritage Center, learn about history and learn how their favorite cars, trucks and SUVs are made.
But our tour deepened us in the process than the average tour: we really had to look into and see what makes this brand. It starts with a process that seeks perfection at every point, allows you to correct mistakes or errors and brings new lessons from each.
From the preparation of parts presented by the suppliers to the functions of robots, which perform most of the hard work to training, maintenance and more, every value of “Kaizen” or continuous improvement Toyota is visible throughout what Toyota does.
See: We drove every Toyota 4wd scrap and what we think
Created for the distance
Toyota tundra disassembled, found at Toyota Princeton Assembly Plant Heritage Center – Credit: Scotty Reiss
When you get into any car, you will first notice what surrounds you: seats, screens, dashboard, central console and steering wheel. These components include buttons, wheels, switches and touch controls that control the car, media, browsing, climate and more.
The Toyota approach is to ensure that these features will serve the life of the car, like suspension, force drive and other main components.
However, when cars continue to step up quickly, there are more technologies at our fingertips than ever. This means that many can go wrong.
It is an area where Toyota avoids risk; The company is investing in functions and components that, to its knowledge, can travel a distance – that is 300,000 miles or 20 years of ownership. Thus, as long as the technology function has shown resistance to satisfy those criteria, it will not be added to the combination. This means that Toyota can often be the last to add popular features or new engineering methods.
Read: Distance created: Toyota Tundra
Innovation is the basis of the Toyota mission
Employees alternately in a night shift every two weeks TMMTX
This does not mean that Toyota is not innovative; In fact, the company goes beyond the boundaries where they passionately believe they can succeed. They were the first to develop many important innovations, including hybrid forces, to control off the off -road road and were the first to introduce Qi Wireless phone charging pads in their cars.
More recently, Toyota has increased its multimedia user experience by adding an app -style features and was one of the first non -luxurious brands to add Hey Toyota voice assistance throughout its composition.
But probably the most famous innovation that fundamentally changed cars is the production of the Toyota method.
Read: Toyota Grand Highlander finally introduces everything to families, and more
Kaisen is the basis of Toyota Way
Toyoto driving off the line just before final inspections at the Toyota Georgetown Collection Factory – Credit: Scotty Reiss
Kaisen or continuous improvement is the basis of the Toyota process and the main reason for its cars, trucks and SUVs are so good.
But how does Kaisen play in the process? And what does it really mean? Toyota has developed Toyota Way almost 25 years ago to find out how the company reaches such a high quality level through its production process. Kaisen includes readiness, constantly checks quality, solves problems that arise, and solve real -time problems, not allowing them to accumulate.
In addition to Kazen, Toyota Way refers to respect for people as the main value.
Read: Toyota Camry is getting better
Quality is the process and not just the value
Team members give this Lexus TX – Credit: Scotty Reiss
Quality starts with checks and even more checks at each stage of production and focusing on the quality that includes, you guessed, more checks.
Toyota team members are given more than 40 hours of quality training to ensure that everyone knows not only how to check the quality, but also what to do when part, the process or assembly does not meet the Toyota standard.
Each team member is asked to constantly search for quality gaps throughout the assembly process. Given that each assembly factory has more than 7,000 employees who are constantly checking the quality, it is quite sure that even the smallest questions will be quickly found.
Read: Toyota Rav4, the most popular SUV, perhaps someday, just got much better
Respect for people is found in… in robotics? Yes!
Robotic AGV returns to base to charge Toyota assembly factory – Credit: Scotty Reiss
The Toyota method interrupts the production process into philosophical ideas, turning them into physical processes that take place at the assembly factory. During the year when it was written, car manufacturing companies modernized by adding AGV or autonomous vehicles, and the “robotics” assembly line, creating a car skeleton around the factory until all its parts are added and the car is fully assembled. These are things seen in many car assembly plants floor.
Adding robotics is not just about process automation, but rather helping people’s team members, facilitating their work, faster and less stress. Some team members integrate directly with robots (these human and machine teams are called “Cobots”), while others are programmed to deliver trash cans full of parts around the plant.
It was quite clear when we looked at the plants that robots reduced the time people could spend while walking under the plant floor or waiting for parts. Toyota also says systems can adapt to people’s needs; The assembly system can adapt to a shorter team member by facilitating work and reducing physical stress.
We also considered respect as a value playing in other ways, starting with resources such as child and health care, to innovation promoted by employees, many employees who have risen to Toyota factories over the years.
Read: Electric Toyoto is in our future. That’s why we’re happy
Toyota Doyo training and equipment maintenance
This workout trainer uses VR and a lift to teach the maintenance crew – Credit: Scotty Reiss
During the trip, we were taken to an annex behind the rows of tall collection plant buildings. When we entered the door of the uninhabited door, we were suddenly at the Dojo Care Center. This is the car company “shop” and perhaps the most eye -opening part of our tour.
Dojo is the concept of the Japanese training hall where employees can learn or improve their craft. However, the Toyota Dojo concept is more focused on using the equipment and tools that the company uses almost 1 million square feet of factory space, repair and troubleshooting.
Teachers and students learn to use robots, distinguish them, understand what makes them act and how to eliminate problems. They also use large equipment scaling models and even virtual reality to allow team members to learn how to use them on a smaller scale before sending, say, repairs scaffolds located in 30 feet through assembly plant flooring.
Read: The process of perfection has led to the Toyota Prius – a hybrid that has launched a revolution
Workouts and mentoring are some kaizen and respect to merge
Just some tools and items used in new team members training at the Toyota assembly factory – Credit: Scotty Reiss
The average Toyota employee receives 26 hours or more hours of workouts and 40 hours or more hours oriented with quality. So, before they started working, one day, they were training, printed and learned. The training combines all the usual suspects, from video textbooks to skills -based activities to the assessments, so employees know their natural skills and those they need to check again (again the quality check protocol again!).
When a new team member finishes the training, they are assigned a mentor, so they have to talk to, share resources and help them find solutions if they need them. Toyota wants everyone to have a “soft landing” when they start a new job there.
Invest in Toyota’s future
The map shows the entire Toyota Georgetown factory volume and nearly 1 million square feet – Credit: Scotty Reiss
When 1997 Toyota built its own factory in Princeton, Indiana, one of the biggest challenges was the staff at their 7,000 team members.
However, it quickly became clear that Toyota needs to plant seeds to create a new generation of people to help the company create great cars, trucks and SUVs.
So 2021. The company launched a program called “Driving Opportunities” in cooperation with the local school system. The program promised millions of dollars and partnerships to help create STEM learning programs for local schools, starting from K to Kid. To high school.
We saw Awe how K four and five years ago were sitting and playing games with robots and driving a tripod and playing a very “mobility” playground created by the program. However, higher students are more impressive; They inspire you to learn how to plan and create their own projects in a new store in a local high school. Students can enter a two -year program and internship Toyota or contact college; The program increased the admission of the college by 60% of the district students.
This is a rare assembly factory that you can enter or plan a tour so you can leave the feeling that you can go there every day. But this is the purpose of Toyota assembly factories: to mix modern technology with a person’s respect for some of the most wonderful work. The fact that they make cars, trucks and SUVs that can travel distance, and the last decades can only be a bonus.