The Toyota Production System is marvellous to behold. But why should you care? Put simply, it creates shorter lead times and stable product pricing for customers by keeping down overhead costs. And of course it produces material handling equipment with the highest quality for Toyota’s famed durability and reliability.
The Toyota Production System achieves stable product pricing by only building machines to order and using a highly efficient production system based on the principal of Heijunka, or Just-In-Time production, which levels production in both volume and variety.
Customer orders are slotted into the production schedule which dictates the assembly sequence based on a forecast and line availability, ensuring a level workflow through the factory. The right parts are then delivered exactly when and where they’re needed on the line. Not only does Toyota practice Heijunka, we hold our vendors to the process to safeguard our supply chain.
There are several ways the Toyota Production System ensures only the highest quality machines are produced, starting with everyone who works in the system being a quality inspector. No matter their role, everyone in the production plant is a quality inspector and quality control is continuous, not just at the end of production (though 100 percent of our equipment is final-checked and thoroughly tested).
Quality checks are performed by employees on every component they work on before sending it down the line for the next stage of production. They also mark each component to indicate it has been checked. If you look, you’ll see multiple examples of these marks on the internal components of your Toyota Material Handling equipment.
So, now you know a bit more about the Toyota Production System, you can buy your next piece of Toyota equipment safe in the knowledge that it was made in a world-renowned system to the highest quality standards and comes guaranteed.
TMHA Director of Sales Cameron Paxton