Toyota 2007 Annual Report Download - page 33

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ANNUAL REPORT 2007 31
We believe that measures to strengthen the international competitiveness of production will become an even
more important factor in maintaining our advantage in markets worldwide. Toyota will continue the timely supply
of cars that customers love around the world through a combination of the basic manufacturing approach
reflected in the “Toyota Production System,” the constant innovation of production engineering technologies,
and the passion that our members around the world invest in vehicle manufacturing.
at the Kentucky plant. For a previous
model change, the mother plant,
Tsutsumi, sent more than 1,000 sup-
port personnel per month to Kentucky.
Also, we had to shut down the produc-
tion line for almost a month. Last
year’s changeover to the new model
Camry was a big improvement. The
mother plant, Tsutsumi, did not send
any support personnel, and the shut-
down period was cut in half.
Additionally, we regard the recent
start-ups of new plants in Texas and
Mexico as models for establishing self-
reliant North American manufacturing
companies that do not need mother
plants in Japan. Both plants achieved
trouble-free start-ups through local
support from their respective mother
plants in Kentucky and Indiana. We
plan to replicate these successes at
other overseas operations to increase
the number of self-reliant manufactur-
ing companies.
Keiichi Kanda
General Manager
Operation Management
Department
Global Strategic Production
Planning Division
Toyota Hosts Global Production Strategy Summit
In April 2006, senior managers from manufacturing compa-
nies around the world gathered in Japan for Toyota’s first
Global Production Strategy Summit. At the summit, we pre-
sented our goal of increasing the self-reliance of produc-
tion operations and asked participants to formulate plans
to achieve that goal. Following that, we hosted a second
summit in November 2006. At this summit, senior managers
from manufacturing companies around the world debated
issues and measures for achieving greater self-reliance
based on the proposals from overseas manufacturing com-
panies. From this, they issued the Five-Year Plan for Self-
Reliance as a road map for measures going forward.
Further, in April 2007 managers debated more detailed
measures for achieving self-reliance at a summit held in the
United States for companies that coordinate manufacturing
in respective regions. We plan to convene such summits
regularly to encourage further brainstorming among the
managers of respective companies and build momentum in
the drive toward self-reliance.
Part III: Innovation Up Close