Taikoh Transportation – Factory Tour
Taikoh Transportation is a Toyota Group logistics company that delivers products to Toyota as well as other automakers such as Subaru, Suzuki and Yamaha. The company is the first company that established a procurement logistics system based on the Toyota Production System in Japan.
Corporate Information
- Company: Taikoh Transportation Co., Ltd.
- Foundation: 1943
- Location: Headquartered in Aichi Prefecture
- Main Business: Procurement transportation and logistics
Taikoh Transportation – Lean Characteristics
TPS-based Logistics
Taikoh Transportation is a logistics company that delivers products to Toyota, Subaru, Suzuki, Yamaha and many other customers’ final assembly operations. They cover Japan across 20 locations, but 13 of those are concentrated in the area of Aichi Prefecture. Their parent company is Toyota Industries Corporation – the original Toyota company that started in the textiles industry well before the automotive company was born.
In the Toyota Group, Taikoh Transportation and around four other logistics companies act as a staging mid-point between all of Toyota’s first-tier suppliers and their final assembly plants. The concept of the staging base was introduced in an effort to increase the frequency of deliveries to Toyota from their first-tier suppliers and thus decrease the inventory levels within each of the Toyota final assembly plants. This is part of Toyota’s kaizen approach spreading outside of production and into their logistics operations in an evolutionary step that still fully incorporates the Toyota Production System – including their kanban pull system of material and information flow.
A visit to Taikoh Transportation site showcases TPS applications at work in the field of transportation and logistics.
Wow. What a great experience not just from a learning perspective but also a great cultural experience as well. From the start the group came together really well. It was a perfect mix of practical and theory, and to gain an insight into the Toyota Production System and see it in action at all the…
read more
I would highly recommend the tour to anyone who is in the business of improving people. The ideas stimulated through this tour have helped me reform our entire vision of what improvement means for our business.
read more
The Lean Japan Tour allowed me to understand in a practical and conceptual way the real essence of just-in-time and operational efficiency. The dedication of the team and their attention to detail have made this an unforgettable experience.
read more
Paul and Ben from Shinka Management need to be commended for the tour that they ran in Japan. The experience has enlightened and energised me to intensify the lean efforts within our organisation. The tour was packed full of knowledge building as well as relationship building with other participants all whilst experiencing a cultural treat…
read more
I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to learn the Toyota Production System from the source. I look forward to implementing the many findings in our plant. This experience has given me a different approach to improving our plant’s lean journey. Thank you again for everything.
read more
From a remote rural engineering company – to the shining lights of Japan’s finest. I have returned overwhelmed from the experience to learn from some of the worlds best manufacturers and absorb decades of experience from my fellow peers. Highly recommended and treat it as a sound investment for your company’s future!
read more
The Shinka Management Lean Japan Tour is a professional development program run several times annually. The program includes a mix of lean and kaizen seminars, hands-on lean training and visits to several benchmark lean companies. For further information and program dates, see the lean tour overview page.
Tour Inquiries
Interested in joining us in Japan? For additional information prior to registration please fill in the form provided or contact us.