Toyota Motor Corporation

The Toyota Motor Corporation is the largest vehicle manufacturer in the world by overall sales. Headquartered in Japan, this multinational corporation was founded in 1937 as a spinoff company. In addition to production of automobiles, the Toyota Corporation provides other services including financial services and the production of robots. The Toyota management philosophy reflects its core values and business methods, commonly referred to as the Toyota Way. The Toyota Way encourages long-term thinking with a focus on solving problems from their root.
Company Report
The Toyota Company employs a production system that is geared towards eliminating any waste in the throughout the production system. This production system comprises of two individual systems utilizing the most efficient
production methods. These systems include the lean manufacturing system and the just-in-time (JIT) system. The Toyota Corporation continuously improves their production system to ensure they can deliver a customers order within the shortest time possible without compromising on the quality. The aspects in the production system are based on two main concepts. Jidoka, the first concept, entails the uses of automated systems in the production of the automobiles with minimum human intervention. The Toyota Production System (TPS) comprises mainly of robotic systems that have the capacity to monitor quality. The system is designed to seize production whenever it detects a problem. The second concept employed by the TPS is the Just-In-Time. Under this concept, the system only produces the parts needed by the next step in the production line. Based on these two concepts, Toyota produces quality cars that meet customers expectations within a very short time.
The TPS is designed to ensure that quality is built in the mechanized process. Computers continuously monitor the system for any malfunction or defective parts. If a defective part is discovered, the production line automatically stops, and the operators identify and rectify the problem. The jikoda ensures that only parts that satisfy a predetermined quality standard proceed to the next step in the production process. Because computers continuously monitor the production line and halt production when a malfunction or defective part is discovered, the operators can confidently attend to other duties in the production line. The jikoda ensures high productivity because one operator can simultaneously attend to different steps in the production line.
The TPS only produces the parts needed, when, and in the quantity demanded by the customer. This enables the TPS to minimize waste and consistently meet the quality expectations of the customers. The TPS is time conscious and employs a strict schedule to ensure consistent results every time. When a customer places an order for a vehicle, the order is delivered to the operator responsible for the first process in the production line within the shortest time possible. The assembly line is stocked with a definite number of the parts required to assemble any type of vehicle in the Toyota catalogue. The parts used to assemble a vehicle are replaced from the preceding step in the production process. Each preceding process must stock a minimum number of parts.
Conclusion
The Toyota Corporation uses the most advanced technology in its production techniques; however, as the company focuses on meeting customer demands within the shortest time possible, quality is sacrificed. Although the company is very innovative, which is evident in their site, they must continuous improve their human resource and robotic technologies to avoid events like the recent recall of Toyota cars in the United States and other parts of the world.