Toyota 2008 Annual Report Download - page 33

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•Annual Report 2008 • TOYOTA
primarily to manufacturing operations, it is now being applied to our
management-related divisions and suppliers as well.
* CF = Customer First
»To Maintain and Improve Toyota’s Quality
In recent years, the structure and performance of vehicles has become
increasingly advanced and complex. At the same time, customers’ needs and
vehicle usage have become increasingly varied. In response to these trends,
we are working to improve quality from the very first phase of development.
For example, to improve long-term quality we recover vehicles that have been
in use for over 10 years to study how age and use affect various components.
We then feed that information back into the design process to further
improve quality related to long-term durability. We also drive new cars
100,000–200,000 kilometers in a single year to identify problems and
implement countermeasures.
We have increased the use of in-line measurement in production lines to
strengthen our ability to “visualize issues.” This helps us to prevent defects
and understand where and why problems occur. To identify the cause of
quality-related issues and implement fundamental solutions, we continuously
monitor and analyze product-precision trends that formerly relied on
operator skill and intuition.
In our supply chain, Toyota’s purchasing division is focused on working
with suppliers to improve quality. Through this initiative, Toyota employees
in the development, production, and purchasing divisions work together with
suppliers to identify and resolve problems so that we can secure high-quality
components.
As a result of these efforts, the initial quality of our vehicles continues
to improve steadily. However, to provide customers with the world’s best
products we still have many issues to address. Going forward, we will further
strengthen our commitment that “quality must be built-in within each
process,” to work even more closely with suppliers and overseas companies,
and to strive to instill an even higher level of quality awareness in each and
every employee to maintain and improve the world’s highest quality standards.
In recent years, cost competitiveness has become an even more important
issue to the automotive industry due to rising raw material costs, increased
demand for compact cars, and the introduction of new environmental and
safety technologies. We are applying a broad range of cost reduction efforts
to absorb the impact of these factors and improve profitability.
»Cost Reduction Activities
To offer better products at lower prices, Toyota launched CCC21* cost
reduction activities in July 2000. Through the project, which has already
resulted in cost reductions, we review the cost of producing major vehicle
Cost is… A Key Source of Toyota’s Competitiveness
Performance Messages from the Management &
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In-line measurement process
In-line measurement using infrared laser