Automation with a human touch
Founded in 1937, Toyota Motor Corporation is a Japan-based automaker with its headquarters in Aichi, Japan. They are one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world in terms of production volume. It started as a division of Toyota Automatic Loom Works. Although Toyota is mainly popular as an automotive company, they still hold an important place in the textile business. The company’s global vision is to lead the way to the future of mobility, enriching lives around the world with the safest and most responsible ways of commuting. Toyota’s production system is based on two concepts: the first being ‘jidoka’ (automation with a human touch) which means that in case of any problem, the equipment stops immediately, preventing defective products from being produced. The second is the concept of ‘Just-in-Time’ in which each process produces only what is needed by the next process. ‘Jidoka’ and ‘Just in Time’ is the heart and soul of the company’s corporate philosophy.
Key Features
1. Kiichiro Toyoda, son of the founder of Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, got ideas for the first Toyota cars from the United States
2. Toyota was ranked as the third largest car manufacturer in the world in 2011, behind General Motors and Volkswagen Group
3. Toyota is the world’s largest manufacturer of hybrid vehicles
4. 80% of Toyotas sold in the last 20 years are still on the road today
