Toyota Motor Corporation – Factory Tour
Toyota Motor Corporation is a leading Japanese car manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture. The company was founded in 1937 by Kiichiro Toyoda as a division of Toyoda Automatic Loom Works. It is the home of the Toyota Production System (TPS), a lean management philosophy founded on the two key pillars of Jidoka and Just-In-Time.
Corporate Information
- Company: Toyota Motor Corporation
- Establishment: 1937
- Location: Headquartered in Aichi Prefecture
- Main Business: Automotive manufacturing
Toyota Factory Tour – Lean Characteristics
TPS, Jidoka, Just-In-Time Production
Toyota is the home of the Toyota Production System (TPS). The lean manufacturing movement is based around the management principles, tools and culture that Toyota has been developing for over 60 years.
Supported by the two key pillars of Jidoka (a Japanese word that can be translated as “automation with a human touch”) and Just-In-Time, TPS aims to offer high quality, short delivery times, and reasonable cost through employee creativity and intense efforts to eliminate waste. It is designed so that machines and people alike stop production when there is equipment failure or any other irregularity in order for it to be immediately corrected. Also, it improves productivity without waste by manufacturing and delivering the necessary parts at the necessary time in the necessary quantity.
Shinka Management has shop floor-level access to the final assembly plant that produce the Toyota HiAce and the Toyota Coaster for Toyota Motor Corporation – facilities that are not open to the general public.
A factory visit includes access to welding (body shop), assembly and inspection lines. Unlike free public factory tours offered by Toyota (currently suspended indefinitely following the pandemic) which focus on general themes, Shinka Management tours focus on the application of the Toyota Production System and are led by one of our Sensei formerly from the Toyota Group.
The factory visit incorporates content on the two pillars of the Toyota Production System; Jidoka and Just-In-Time. The tour provides a close-up view of 5S, standard work, visual management, karakuri, poka-yoke, AGV (automated guided vehicle) and kanban application, with questions taken both on the shop floor and in a Q&A session following the visit.
Astana, Kazakhstan
I personally believe that an understanding of lean as a holistic concept combined with lean tools is necessary for all managers in any business. Shinka Management introduced us to the origins of lean production and provided a great opportunity to observe real companies where TPS principles are both implemented and being polished daily. Important parts…
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Flamatt, Switzerland
A very intensive and learning Lean Japan Study tour. Alternating with company tours, training session and feeling the Japanese culture. Experiencing the TPS live generated many new inputs and ideas for me. I can recommend it to anyone interested in Lean / Kaizen, but also to experts. It shows what culture is behind it and…
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Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Learning 5S and TPS while experiencing and living the Japanese culture through communication, direct interaction and viewing various live examples from different perspectives, created a solid reference for us to understand the main reason behind the success of these systems. This is a complete lifestyle that involves human contribution, a continuous thrive for improvement, and…
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Valmiera, Latvia
The Lean Japan Tour program organised by Shinka Management is a fantastic experience for those involved in business and production. It inspires people to make changes for the better and to more effectively organize production regardless of the industry they represent.
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Dubai, United Arab Emirates
It was a fasntastic tour from the beginning to the end. It was very well-organised and informative. Sessions were followed with practical training which concentrated more on the ideas that had been explained. The factories visited were chosen in a way that allowed the participants to see a live supply chain work. Big thanks to…
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Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador
I really liked the Lean Japan Tour, since it combines theoretical training, workshops and visits to different companies. It is different to see firsthand how the different methodologies work and take the time to understand that it is part of the organizational culture. Thank you Shinka Management team. Now let’s get to work…!!
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The Shinka Management Lean Japan Tour is a professional development program run by Shinka Management’s team of lean consultants 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.
The above form is for inquiries related to the Lean Japan Tour program, Shinka Management consulting and training services, and lean manufacturing software products. Shinka Management does not represent Toyota. For Toyota-related product and service inquiries, please contact Toyota directly.
Planning a Visit to Japan?
Prepare for your visit by reading Shinka Management’s guide to Japanese Business Culture and Etiquette.