Battles Rage at Standstill Toyota Factories

The Motomachi Plant, a cornerstone of Toyota's manufacturing since its opening in 1959, has been undergoing a unique transformation during a prolonged production halt. The plant, located in Toyota City, Japan, and home to models such as the Crown, bZ4X, and Mirai, has around 5,500 workers who are now focusing on improvement and innovation.

The production halt, due to the unabating pandemic and chip shortages, has lasted more than two months between late June and early September. During this period, the assembly lines have fallen silent, with countless cars covered in plastic where they had halted. However, this pause has not deterred the workers. Instead, they have seized the opportunity to improve their conditions and work towards delivering cars to customers as soon as possible.

One such example is Team Leader Ikuo Matsushita, who used the plant's downtime to earn a large vehicle license and create video guides for handling oil leaks from 10-ton trucks. His initiative demonstrates the proactive spirit that permeates the Motomachi Plant during these challenging times.

Another colleague, Seiichiro Kaneda, has been spearheading a review of safety and quality goals, understanding past mistakes, and improving the plant's structure for greater autonomy among staff. Substantial kaizen efforts can be seen throughout the plant, aimed at improving the workplace during the production halt.

The logistics team, led by Katsuhisa Sakai, Manager of the Logistics Section of the Final Assembly Division, has managed significant improvements. They have held discussions to boost accountability among all members, including newcomers, and created videos outlining key points in procedures to help inexperienced workers understand standard tasks.

The plant's younger members have also taken the initiative to eliminate mistakes in parts delivery. Yuji Akari, Final Assembly Division Deputy General Manager at the Motomatchi Plant, spoke candidly about the difficult situation affecting car production. Despite the challenges, Akari and his colleagues are using the downtime to run training drills for their team members, improve car-making processes, and invest in personnel development.

Supervisors at the Motomatchi Plant make improvements based on suggestions from their teams. Keigo Adachi, a worker at the Motomatchi Plant, developed improvements for the plant and is among those awaiting delivery of their purchased cars. Workers are constantly sharing good ideas to improve all aspects of operation, embodying Toyota's philosophy of co-existence and co-prosperity with its suppliers, who are considered as "branch plants."

Many new vehicles are awaiting delivery at Toyota dealers and parts suppliers. The future design of the Toyota-Motomachi production line is under the guidance of Akio Toyoda, the president of Toyota Motor Corporation. As the Motomachi Plant continues to adapt and innovate, it remains a beacon of resilience and determination in the face of adversity.