The success of the Toyota brand has been evident in different parts of the world as a result of continuous development and quality improvement. Its global presence and sales have grown tremendously leading the brand to emerge as a peoples’ brand in Africa.

Undoubtedly, no amount of writing can provide the Toyota story justice, for it is modestly abundant. The brand has humbly grown from weaving looms to scooping the ‘greatness’ title on the road and ultimately, as Akio Toyoda states: “to making people pleased when they drive the Toyota cars.”

It was inevitable that after the increase of demand on the Japanese market, United States of American was the first to taste the skill and technical talent on the know-how of the first hand innovation from Japan. For more than 75 years now, Toyota Motors Corporation has been giving value for money to customers. High sales volume coupled with positive brand perception attracted business opportunities in other developing markets such as BRIC Nations (Brazil, Russia, India and China), which led Toyota to emerge as the most successful automotive company in the world.

Notably, the accomplishments were obvious and Toyota brand managed to tap into the African market, by exporting the first Toyota model (Land Cruiser) in 1959.

In the late 1959, exports of the Land Cruiser where extended to Nigeria, Angola, while other countries like Ethiopia received Toyota Crown.

Toyota has established a solid presence in each country through specific efforts tailored to local conditions. Toyota currently has a sales network that extends to 53 African countries, with intentions to continuously   respond to its’ market growth. Production in Africa began in 1962 in South Africa, where a plant was set up to assemble Hilux and Corolla. The units were then to be exported to Europe and throughout Africa. Furthermore, assembly in Kenya began in 1977.

Toyota is a great employer in the world

Toyota is one of the biggest employers, with over 340,000 employees in the world. This company changes lives not only on the road, but around the dinner table, in national parks and various sectors. Since its establishment in 1937, Toyota has grown to be the biggest auto company in the world by production. For many people in Africa, what will always make Toyota stay a household name is that it is a brand for everyone.

Designed for Africa

One of the reasons why Toyota has won hearts all over Africa is that the vehicles are specifically designed and build for the rough and tough terrains coupled with the hot African climate. This can be seen in the way our models overcame the different terrains across the continent and the reliability they provide to millions of customers, with various, but always high demands.

Entrance of Toyota on the Zambia Automotive Market

The entrance of Toyota on the Zambian automotive market dates back to 1963 when Mobile Motors was first incorporated under the Lonrho Group. In 1994, the company changed its name to Toyota Zambia and in 1997 Lonrho group entered into joint venture with Toyota Tsusho Corporation (TTC), a trading division of Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) in which TTC acquired 50% shares in Toyota Zambia Limited.

Fast forward to 2001, TTC acquired 100% shareholding of Toyota Zambia Ltd. With this acquisition, massive capital injections have led to major rehabilitation and expansion projects. Some notable attainments include the opening of aftersales facility in Livingstone in 2010, the rehabilitation of Copperbelt branch in Kitwe in 2011, the opening of Nangwenya Toyota branch in 2013 and the opening of Solwezi Toyota branch in 2017. The company has further expanded its foot print in the country which has seen the appointment of three authorised service centres in Kabwe, Chipata and Mkushi towns.

Toyota Zambia has a 250 strong workforce that seeks to provide a superior service and exceed our customers’ expectations in all of its 5 branches. To achieve this, the company has set up systems and measures dedicated to provide training for all staff, regardless of the department they work in. From time to time, the company further hosts qualified trainers from Japan, South Africa as well as Kenya to further guide and support the development of its staff and level of service delivered to its esteemed Zambian customers.

Under the leadership of Mr. Dino Bianchi, the company’s Country CEO, Toyota has a strong corporate social responsibility (CSR) which has seen the company getting involved in a number of community based programmes from healthcare, road safety to education.

The next set of articles will now focus on some members of staff that contribute to the growth of our organisation. Stay tuned…

The Toyota Way is a set of principles and behaviors that inspire the Toyota Motor Corporation’s managerial approach and production system. Toyota first summed up its philosophy, values and manufacturing ideals in 2001, calling it “The Toyota Way 2001”.

Heritages of the Toyota Production System

The ‘Toyota Way’, was established from The Toyota Production System (TPS), which is based on the philosophy of complete elimination of all waste in pursuit of the most efficient methods, which has roots tracing back to Sakichi Toyoda’s automatic loom. TPS has evolved through many years of trial and error to improve efficiency based on the ‘Just-in-Time’ concept developed by Kiichiro Toyoda, the founder (and second president) of Toyota Motor Corporation. Waste can manifest as excess inventory, unnecessary processing steps, and defective products, among other instances. All these “waste” elements intertwine with each other to create more waste, eventually impacting the management of the corporation itself.

Kiichiro Toyoda, who inherited this philosophy, set out to realize his belief that, “the ideal conditions for making things are created when machines, facilities, and people work together to add value without generating any waste.” He conceived methodologies and techniques for eliminating waste between operations, both lines and processes. The result was the Just-in-Time method. This concept provides a vision of flowing value directly to the customer without interruption. Increasingly, customers want customized products and services on demand. Furthermore, ‘Built-in-Quality’ concept follows the principle of doing it right the first time to avoid downstream modifications.

The foundation of the TPS house clearly suggests it is not possible to flow value smoothly and perform each step correctly, when there is disorder and instability. Hence the need to level the flow of work to make it steady and consistent.  Many manufacturing and service organizations that have followed these principles have had dramatic success in eliminating waste, streamlining processes, saving money and better serving customers. As seen in the image below, the goal on the roof of the TPS house suggests that doing these things will improve quality, cost, delivery, safety and morale. It is shown as a system in which all the parts are interconnected, as in a structure—like a house.

Nevertheless, the people aspect who are supposed to be building and rebuilding the TPS house (applying the concepts) to familiarize to a dynamic environment are missing in the image, which brings us to the invention of the “Toyota Way”.

In 2001, Toyota created the “Toyota Way “house as an improved version house from the TPS house, which consists of principles in two key areas: continuous improvement, and respect for people. The ‘Toyota Way’, was defined in a simpler framework for applying Toyota’s Guiding Principles and building the kind of company that people should apply in every aspect of their day-to-day work livelihood, globally. It is the foundation of Toyota corporate culture. The new renovated ‘Toyota Way’ House  is built on two pillars: Continuous Improvement, which takes in the concepts of Challenge, Kaizen and Genchi Genbutsu, and Respect for People, which embraces Respect and Teamwork,  and gives a clear corporate direction as shown below:

1. Continuous improvement

Challenge

When we embrace a challenge we also commit oneself to challenging what we know and do to complete it. This means we have to approach each challenge, not only with creativity, but also with passion and courage.

Kaizen

Kaizen is the essence of continuous improvement. It is a way of thinking which encourages and empowers everyone to identify where and how even small changes can be made to benefit the business, the team or an individual performance.                                 

Genchi Genbutsu (現地現物)

Genchi Genbutsu literally translates “real location, real thing” and it is a key principle of the Toyota Production System. The principle is sometimes referred to as “go and see”. It suggests that in order to truly understand a situation one needs to observe what is happening at the site where work actually takes place, the genba (現場). One definition is that it is “collecting facts and data at the actual site of the work or problem. To achieve this one has to go to the source. “Going to the source” – is about checking the facts oneself, so that one can be sure to have the right information needed to make a good decision.

2. Respect for all at the heart of our business

Respect for people

This focuses on the relationships among colleagues, it is important that everyone is respected both for what they contribute and who they are. That includes an employees’ ideas, cultural and personal beliefs. Through Respect everyone in a corporation will have a personal responsibility for what they do and build mutual trust and understanding, which will aid build a diverse and sustainable workforce that reflects society around us and our changing customer base.

Teamwork

Successful teamwork is about everyone understanding corporate goals and working together to achieve them. Every member of a team is given the opportunity to do their best and is accountable to achieve results, Just-in-Time. Notably, throughout our business, from the board room to the production line, we recognize that people are our greatest asset. We strive to give human resource stable employment in line with the ‘Toyota Way’ with opportunities to develop their skills, responsibilities and commitment as individuals and committed team members.

The “Toyota Way” has been adopted not only by companies in Japan, Toyota companies worldwide, within the automotive industry, but also in production activities and continues to evolve globally.

Akio Toyoda is the Chief Executive Officer and President of Toyota Motor Corporation. He is the grandson of the great Kiichiro Toyoda, the man behind the foundation of Toyota Motor Corporation. Akio has proved his worth as an able President by leading the brand to its peak despite facing challenges like the international recession, recalls on certain models sold globally and the notorious 2011 tsunami which greatly affected the industry.

A brief back ground to this outstanding man, Mr. Akio Toyoda was born on the 3rd of May 1956, in Nagoya, Japan to Shoichiro Toyoda. His Father Shoichiro was a former chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation. His parents named him Akio which means Bright, Clear, Husband, Man befitting his Japanese origin. He obtained a Bachelor’s degree from Keio University and earned his MBA from Babson College in Massachusetts. Upon his return in 1982, Mr. Akio joined Toyota Motor Corporation.

As a TMC employee, Toyoda was posted in each phase of the company’s operations such as marketing, production, product development, both locally and internationally. He later served as a board member and vice president at the company’s joint collaboration with GM (General Motors) in 1998. The joint venture took place in California.

In 2000, he got back to his own country and was selected in the capacity as TMC Directorial Board. He took up the creation and supervision of online shopping guide, gazoo.com to name a few which was aimed at providing information on used and new vehicles. He went on to supervise domestic marketing campaigns, Toyota’s operations in the US and production management. He was appointed as a Chief Executive Officer of Asia in 2001 and Sino operations center (SOC) the following year.

After two years serving as senior Managing Director, Akio attained the designation of Chief Officer for China Operations and Asia, Oceania and Middle East Operations respectively. He assumed the position of executive vice president and representative director with the responsibility of looking after Information Technology, Information Technology systems, Product Management, quality, purchasing, Nippon and overseas sales as well as foreign operations.

In 2009 Akio was appointed president of Toyota Motor Corporation propelling the company to its current global position as the world‘s largest automobile.

Aside from the zeal to push the company to higher heights, Mr. Akio, Toyota President of TMC is married and is the father of 2 children, a boy & a girl. He is a keen car racing enthusiast and has participated at ADAC, 24 hours, 3 times, under an assumed name- Morizo. The ADAC GT Masters is a grand toured-based auto racing series founded by the international Stéphane Ratel Organisation (SRO) and is supported by the German ADAC automotive club. Similar to an earlier ADAC GT Cup series in the 1990s, the new GT Masters run their first season in 2007. Although the series is based in Germany, selected events are also carried out in other parts of the world.

Akio has been a great manifestation of positivity and passion for vehicles in the Toyota Motor Corporation. Thanks to Akio’s leadership, Toyota is once again back to the headlines by being the top automaker of the world in the year 2012, and has continued to enjoy the status as the world’s leading automobile industry.

For his vast contributions, Mr. Akio Toyoda was acknowledged with the honor of “Auto car’s Man of the year” in year 2012.

After the death of Kiichiro Toyoda, his son Shoichiro Toyoda was named the Successor-Toyota Crown Prince.

Shoichiro Toyoda was born in Nagoya on 17th February 1925, to Kiichiro and Hatako Toyoda. Being the eldest son in a traditional Japanese family firm, Shoichiro seemed destined to run the company from the time of his birth.

Growing up under the instruction of his mother, Shoichiro learned all that was going on in his father’s car and truck company, and he absorbed the lessons.

Shoichiro graduated from high school in 1945. He wanted to study engineering at Nagoya University, however World War II and the American occupation of Japan changed the destinies of both Toyota and of Shoichiro. At the time Kiichiro was making trucks for the Imperial Japanese Army, and his plant was within a few days of being bombed by American Boeing B-29 (B-29) when Japan surrendered. There might well have been no Toyota for his son Shoichiro to return to. Like many other young Japanese men, Shoichiro was recruited to labour in the fields, raising potatoes and barley to feed the army, navy, and civilian population. This interrupted his education and he did not receive his Bachelor of Science in Engineering until 1947.

Shoichiro then entered Tohoku University in Sendai, about five hundred miles north of Tokyo, where he continued his studies in engineering. He later married Hiroko Mitsui in 1952 and become the father of two children, which made him to not only focus on his academic growth but also family warfare. Notable, one of his greatest academic achievements was receiving a doctorate in the year 1955.

In the last years of Kiichiro’s life (his father), Toyota Japan Motor Company resumed making trucks and passenger cars. This was at the time when unionization was introduced to Japan byGeneral Douglas MacArthur, while F. Edwards Deming introduced quality control. The main purpose of unionization was to give workers/soldiers the power to negotiate for more favourable working conditions and other benefits through collective bargaining. Toyota then became unionized, and its workers demanded job security, which Kiichiro could not provide because the company was losing money. 

Shoichiro had been ready to travel to America to manage a sewing-machine manufacturing operation, however, the passing of his father (Kiichiro) made him to change priorities.  At the age of 27, he was made to run Toyota as a Director even when he was not ready. Undeniably, his young age coupled with knowledge he acquired form universities reviewed prosperity. Evidently, Toyota soon began to flourish by making trucks for the American army fighting in Korea.

SHOICHIRO CHAMPIONS TOTAL QUALITY CONTROL

The company presidency passed into the hands of Taizo Ishida, who was not a member of the Toyoda family. This proved to be an important lesson for Shoichiro; it showed him that Toyota could remain a family firm even when it was necessary temporarily to turn to someone outside the family to run the company.

The major influence on the maturing of Shoichiro was Eiji, who was at that time the most powerful family member in the company. Eiji guided Shoichiro as a young executive over two decades to shape him into his successor as company president. He gave Shoichiro his grand vision, to make Toyota a global automotive company, and training him to realize that vision.

Under Ishida, Toyota began to export cars to Europe and America. The Toyota Corona Crown was the first Japanese car to be marketed abroad. Its success in the 1950s and early 1960s was limited.

The Motomachi plant was opened in 1959 to produce Toyota cars. The director of the construction committee was Shoichiro, supervised by Eiji. Shoichiro was sent abroad to gain expertise on how to construct a plant for passenger cars. In 1961 he was promoted to managing director of the corporate planning office.

Shoichiro quickly recognized that Toyota’s cars and trucks were not of the quality foreign consumers were looking for. Americans would not buy what many of them saw as under-powered, unattractive, and undependable vehicles. Toyota would have to improve its entire production process, but doing so was easier said than done. While the company talked about improving quality control, it had little contact with American experts on the matter, and its workers were still inexperienced in this area.

Shoichiro saw a solution: Quality-control operations needed to be integrated into every step of production. They had to be systematic and a part of every Toyota department and operation. In the early 1960s he prevailed upon Eiji and Ishida to implement a total-quality-control program. The board agreed, and Shoichiro set the goal of having a program in operation by 1964. He brought in experts, but the company’s workers complained and revolted. Production expert Taiichi Ohno felt that Shoichiro was wasting his time and Toyota’s money. Within a year, though, Shoichiro’s critics knew he had been right. The number of defects in Toyota cars fell by half.

Taiichi Ohno a Japanese industrial engineer and businessman, who was considered to be the father of the Toyota Production System, which inspired Lean Manufacturing in the United States of America, devised the seven wastes as part of system of quality control. Toyota was on its way to global competitiveness and Shoichiro, more than any other individual, was responsible.

Shoichiro Toyoda is a retired Japanese business executive who served as chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation between 1992–1999, as well as chairman of the influential Japan Business Federation, beginning in May 1994 through May 1998. Today, he serves on the boards of a number of corporate and non-corporate organizations. He has been honorary chairman of the Japanese Federation of Economic Organizations (Nippon Keidanren) since 2002. In addition, he has received more than two dozen awards and medals in Japan, Europe, Asia, Australia and South America.

Kiichiro Toyoda was born in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan in 1894. He was the son of Sakichi Toyoda, a noted inventor and founder of Toyoda Automatic Loom Works.

Kiichiro organised the creation of the first Toyota automobile and the founding of Toyota Motor Corporation in 1937. 

Kiichiro attended the University of Tokyo, where he studied engineering. After graduation, Kiichiro began working in the family business and later travelled to England and the United States to further his education in manufacturing.

After returning to Japan, Kiichiro made improvements to many of the company’s looms and implemented techniques for eliminating waste in manufacturing and created what became the Just-in-Time method. The idea of Just-in-Time originated with Kiichiro Toyoda during a trip to England because he missed a train. The train was on time, but Toyoda was slightly late. This had him thinking about correlations for material needed for production. He believed that material arriving too late would obviously be bad, as it causes stops and delays. However, material arriving too early is also bad, as it increases material for storage purposes. Hence, the material had to arrive Just-in-Time which was and still is the critical method to success.

After his first trip to the west in 1921, Kiichiro had become increasingly interested in automobiles.

 In 1933, Kiichiro convinced Risaburo, his brother-in-law and president of the family company, to fund an automotive development program and purchased a new Chevrolet to use as a benchmark. He then recruited some of Japan’s best engineers to dis assemble and reassemble the car to learn how the modern manufacturers were building their vehicles. 

In 1934, Kiichiro and his team unveiled an experimental gasoline engine to Toyoda stockholders and persuaded them to fund a separate automotive division. The following year, Kiichiro and his team produced a prototype automobile called “Model A1” passenger car. “Model A1” borrowed numerous ideas from established automakers; the engine was based on a Chevrolet design, the chassis was copied from Ford, and the styling was derived from a Chrysler Airflow. Kiichiro drove one of the prototypes to his father’s grave as a sign of respect.

The vehicles were originally sold under the Toyoda name, but the division soon changed its name to “Toyota” because it took eight brush strokes to write (a lucky number in Japanese culture) and was visually simpler. The new name was trademarked in 1936 and Toyota Motor Corporation was registered independently of Toyoda Loom Works in 1937.

Toyoda was named Vice President of the Toyota Motor Company upon its formation. He became President in 1941 and remained head of the company until his resignation in 1950. He passed away in 1952, having laid the groundwork for Toyota Motor Corporation’s rise to the top of the automotive industry.

Risaburo Toyoda (born March 5, 1884) was a Japanese entrepreneur. He was the son-in-law of Toyota Industries Co., Ltd founder Sakichi Toyoda, and brother-in-law of Toyota Motor Corporation founder, Kiichiro Toyoda

He graduated from Hitotsubashi University (then Tokyo Koto ShogyoGakko). In 1939, he became the first president of the Toyota Motor Corporation. He died at the age of 68 in 1952.

Five Main Principles of Toyoda

• Always be faithful to your duties, thereby contributing to the Company and to the overall good.
• Always be studious and creative, striving to stay ahead of the times.
• Always be practical and avoid frivolousness.
• Always strive to build a homelike atmosphere at work that is warm and friendly.
• Always have respect for spiritual matters, and remember to be grateful at all times.

The “Five Main Principles of Toyoda” are a written statement of the teaching of Sakichi Toyoda collected and arranged by Risaburo Toyoda and Kiichiro Toyoda. The Principles were first released on October 30, 1935, the fifth anniversary of Sakichi’s death. Since then, Five Main Principles of Toyoda have been handed down to every Toyota Group company and serve as conduct guidelines for all employees.

Reference: toyota-global.com

The story begun in the year 1867 when Ikichi and Ei Toyoda had a son named Sakichi, born on the 14th of February in Yamaguchi, Tōtōmi Province (present-day Kosai, Shizuoka). Ikichi Toyoda became an inventor, industrialist and legend of Japan’s industrialization.

Sakichi’s birth and early upbringing coincided with that period in Japanese history when the shogunate was replaced by a new government under the Meiji Emperor. That period was generally regarded as the beginning of modern Japan. In the middle of social upheavals, the entire village where Sakichi lived was plagued with poverty. Ikichi Toyoda was a farmer and also worked as a carpenter to support his family and his community. Many people relied on him. Sakichi looked up to his father’s work and began working as an assistant to his father in carpentry trade, immediately after having graduated from elementary school. 

At the age of 14 to 15, Sakichi began to think about ways in which he could both be useful to the people around him and serve his country.

On days when there was no carpentry, Sakichi would diligently read newspapers and magazinesthat kept him informed of the political situation not only in his country but of the world at large. This prompted him to organise local youths in the community by getting together in an evening study group to promote knowledge sharing of current affairs and self-learning.

In 1885, he turned 18 and learnt of the newly enacted Patent Monopoly Act. The new developments ignited the zeal to participate in changes. This prompted Sakichi to study the Act carefully and quickly became convinced that he had found his way forward. He dreamt of adding the necessary values to his family and society through inventions. He then decided to tap into his own wisdom and devoted his utmost efforts towards inventions as a means of creating something new, by stating, “Western civilization is based upon machinery. Machines are driven by steam. Steam-powered machinery requires coal which is expensive. Some methods must be forced to replace steam as the motive force.” – Sakichi Toyoda.

Sakichi experimented on various ways on trying to live up to his statement which did not work until a thought of improving Hand Loom came to his mind. He worked in a barn, built and destroyed a number of looms which made most people to think of him as being strange, yet he was never bothered.

At the time the Japanese government called for inventors’ no one answered the call faster than Sakichi Toyoda. He did a lot of research regarding acceptability and value addition to the Japanese economy.  In his early 20s (1887 to be exact), Sakichi Toyoda knew well that his first invention would be to improve the loom and to progress his family’s lifestyle.

In the autumn of 1891 at the age of 24, Sakichi Toyoda’s first successful invention known as Toyoda Wooden Hand Loom was accomplished and was awarded with his first patent. Through successful inventions, Sakichi Toyoda launched the Toyoda Automatic Loom Works which was the engineering and manufacturing company in 1926. It earned him the signature of “Father of the Japanese industrial revolution”. He also introduced Toyota Industries Company Ltd, invented numerous textile-focused weaving devices and innovative fuelling systems which were used to power his Toyoda-branded machines. Looking for continuous improvements was Sakichi’s way of life!

Unlike previous looms, the Toyoda Wooden Hand Loom required only one hand to operate instead of two. It removed the unevenness of the woven fabric thus improving quality. It increased efficiency by 40 to 50 percent. Nonetheless, the Loom was still manually powered. This limited further improvements in terms of speed and overall efficiency. This unproductivity made Sakichi to dedicate his attention to the invention of a Power Loom.

In 1892, Sakichi started a small factory in Tokyo’s Taito Ward that used several of the Toyoda Wooden Hand Looms. He did this for numerous reasons; Sakichi needed financial resources to support his career and desired financial independence and stability to better pursue his inventing path. He also thought that he would be able to confidently recommend his inventions to customers by using it himself to confirm its superior performance.

Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, Ltd. Sets Sail

In the year 1926, on November 17, began the success of the development of the Automatic Loom, by Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, Ltd. (now Toyota Industries Corporation) which was exhibited at the head office of Toyoda Boshoku in Nagoya City. Toyoda Automatic Loom Works’ establishment was officially registered the following day on November 18, 1926. Risaburo Toyoda, Sakichi’s son-in-law, was named President and Kiichiro, Toyoda Sakichi’s son became the Managing Director. Sakichi’s unprecedented concept that originated from his experiences tailored major objectives of the company which was based on pursuing related invention and research.

Notably, Sakichi’s most famous invention was the Automatic Power Loom, which he implemented the principle of Jidoka (autonomous automation). The principle of Jidoka, meant that the machine stops itself when a problem occurs, which became later a part of the Toyota Production System. Sakichi really lived up to being the father of industrial revolution as he also developed the concept of 5 Whys: When a problem occurs, ask “why” five times to try to find the source of the problem, then put in place something to prevent the problem from recurring. This concept is still being used today as part of applying lean methodologies to solve problems, improve quality, and reduce costs.

Sakichi Toyoda passed away in October 1930, having devoted his 63 years to invention. To commemorate the company founder, who was the spiritual support of all Toyoda companies, a monument was constructed on the first anniversary of his passing and a bust of Sakichi was erected on the fifth anniversary.

His son, Kiichiro Toyoda, inherited his father’s legacy and later establish Japan’s largest automaker, Toyota.  Sakichi Toyoda has been given several befitting titles some of which have been referred to as the “King of Japanese Inventor” and “Father of the Japanese industrial revolution”. 

This has been a brief history of Sakichi Toyoda – the Legend (February 14, 1867 – October 30, 1930).

“Before you say you can’t do something, try it.” Kiichiro Toyoda spearheaded the creation of the first Toyota automobile and the founding of Toyota Motor Corporation in 1937. Toyoda was born in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan in 1894. He was the son of Sakichi Toyoda, a noted inventor and founder of Toyoda Automatic Loom Works in 1926.

Kiichiro attended the University of Tokyo, where he studied engineering. After graduation, Kiichiro began working in the family business and later traveled to England and the United States to further his education in manufacturing.

After returning to Japan, Kiichiro made improvements to many of the company’s looms and implemented techniques for eliminating waste in manufacturing, creating what became the Just-in-Time method. However, after his first trip to the west in 1921, Kiichiro had become increasingly interested in automobiles. In 1933, Kiichiro convinced Risaburo, his brother-in-law and president of the family company, to fund an automotive development program and purchased a new Chevrolet to use as a benchmark. He then enlisted some of Japan’s best engineers to disassemble and reassemble the car to learn how the modern manufacturers were building their vehicles.

In 1934, Kiichiro and his team unveiled an experimental gasoline engine to Toyoda stockholders and persuaded them to fund a separate automotive division. The next year, Kiichiro and his team produced a prototype automobile called “Model A1” passenger car. “Model A1” borrowed numerous ideas from established automakers; the engine was based on a Chevrolet design, the chassis was copied from Ford, and the styling was derived from a Chrysler Airflow. Kiichiro drove one of the prototypes to his father’s grave as a sign of respect.

The vehicles were originally sold under the Toyoda name, but the division soon changed its name to “Toyota” because it took eight brush strokes to write (a lucky number in Japanese culture) and was visually simpler. The new name was trademarked in 1936 and Toyota Motor Corporation was registered independently of Toyoda Loom Works in 1937.

Toyoda was named Vice President of the Toyota Motor Company upon its formation. He became President in 1941 and remained head of the company until his resignation in 1950. He passed away in 1952, having laid the groundwork for Toyota Motor Corporation’s rise to the top of the automotive industry.

Reference: https://www.automotivehalloffame.org/honoree/kiichiro-toyoda/

Watch Kiichiro Toyoda’s biography:

• Kiichiro Toyoda Biography 1
• Kiichiro Toyoda Biography 2

Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of Toyota Industries Corporation, was born in 1867 in Yamaguchi-mura, Fuchi-no-kori, Totomi-no-kuni (presently Kosai City, Shizuoka Prefecture). He was the first son of Ikichi and Ei Toyoda. Ikichi was a farmer who also worked as a carpenter to support his family. He was a highly skilled carpenter that many relied on.

Sakichi graduated from elementary school and began working as an assistant for his father in carpentry trade.

Sakichi’s birth and early upbringing coincided with that period in Japanese history when the shogunate was replaced by a new government under the Meiji Emperor. This period is generally regarded as the beginning of modern Japan. In the middle of social upheavals, the entire village where Sakichi lived was plagued with poverty.
From the age of 14 or 15, Sakichi began to think about ways in which he could both be useful to the people around him and serve his country.

On days when there was no carpentry, Sakichi would assiduously read newspapers and magazines. He brought the local youth together in an evening study group that promoted self-learning. However, he was unable to come up with ways to contribute to society.

Sakichi turned 18 in 1885. He learned of the newly enacted Patent Monopoly Act. This he studied carefully and quickly became convinced that he had found his way forward.

Then and there, he decided to tap into his own wisdom and devote his utmost efforts toward invention as a means of creating something new.

“Western civilization is based upon machinery. Machines are driven by steam. Steam-powered machinery requires coal which is expensive. Some method must be contrived to replace steam as the motive force.” So thought Sakichi.
Using trial and error methods, Sakichi experimented with various permanent and unlimited energy sources. He was not successful.

In this fashion, Sakichi continued to meditate. At some point, he became interested in the hand loom used by local farm families. Sakichi thought that if he could find a way to improve the efficiency of the hand loom, it would benefit many people.
Sakichi set to work. Working in a barn, he built and destroyed a number of looms. Some people began to think of him as being strange. Immersed in his efforts, this did not bother him at all.

In 1890, Sakichi traveled to Ueno in Tokyo to visit the Third National Machinery Exposition. Many new machines of both Japanese and overseas manufacture were on display. Sakichi was deeply impressed. So much that he spent every day for the next month visiting the exposition, determined to understand how each of the machines worked.

In the autumn of the same year, Sakichi’s first successful invention was accomplished. It was known as the Toyoda wooden hand loom. Sakichi received his first patent for that loom in 1891. He was 24 years old.

Unlike previous looms, the Toyoda wooden hand loom required only one hand to operate instead of two. It removed the unevenness of the woven fabric thus improving quality. It increased efficiency by 40 to 50 percent.
However, the loom was still manually powered. This limited further improvements in speed and overall efficiency. So Sakichi turned his attention to the invention of a power loom.

In 1892, Sakichi started a small factory in Tokyo’s Taito Ward that used several of the Toyoda wooden hand looms invented by Sakichi. He did this for several reasons. He wanted financial independence to better pursue his inventing career. He needed funds to support his efforts. He also thought that he would be able to confidently recommend his invention to customers by using it himself to confirm its superior performance.

Fabrics manufactured by Sakichi’s factory were distributed to wholesalers and enjoyed a good reputation. Sakichi managed the operation while continuing his inventing efforts. Unfortunately the factory did not do well and had to be shut down after a year of operation. Sakichi returned to his hometown.

Soon afterwards, he went to visit an uncle living in the city of Toyohashi in Aichi Prefecture. He decided to live in his uncle’s house and continue his efforts toward developing a power loom.
To provide funds for his efforts, Sakichi invented the highly efficient Toyoda winding machine in 1894. This was an epoch-making development.

To promote the manufacture and sale of his new machine, Sakichi soon established Ito Shoten Co., agent for Toyoda, in Nagoya. This later became Toyoda Shoten Co. and then Toyoda Shokai Co.

Once sales of the winding machine were on track, Sakichi turned his undivided attention to inventing a power loom. It did not take him long. In 1896, the Toyoda power loom, Japan’s first power loom built of steel and wood was perfected. The shedding, picking and beat-up motions were all steam-powered. It was also equipped with the weft auto stop mechanism. The machine was relatively inexpensive and greatly increased productivity and quality.

One of the first to recognize the outstanding performance of the new loom was a customer of Toyoda Shoten Co. named Tohachi Ishikawa. He proposed opening a weaving business. He and Sakichi were soon partners. They founded OkkawaMempu Co. in Aichi Prefecture’s city of Handa. The high-quality cotton cloth woven by the new loom earned a reputation for excellence.
Sakichi used not only the steam engine but also an oil motor as a power source for his looms.

The loom soon came to the attention of Mitsui Bussan (currently Mitsui & Co., Ltd.). In 1899, they proposed setting up a loom manufacturing company. Igeta Shokai Co. was established, with Sakichi overseeing the production of power looms as chief engineer and fully devoting his efforts to further invention. However, economic conditions were bad and the company fell on hard times, making further development more and more difficult. Sakichi ultimately left the company and opened the independently managed Toyoda Shokai Co., where he dedicated himself to invention and research.

Sakichi continued his efforts to improve his machines. Looms used a bobbin to hold the weft. When the weft ran out, the power loom had to be stopped in order to replenish it. It was clear that this downtime greatly decreased operational efficiency. Sakichi became focused on the task of inventing a device that could automatically replace the shuttle when the weft ran out.

An unwavering conviction — Commercial trials

In 1903, Sakichi invented the first automatic shuttle-changing mechanism that automatically replenished the weft yarn without stopping machine operation, producing the world’s first shuttle-change automatic loom, Type T, equipped with this mechanism. Kanegafuchi Boseki Co. attached this shuttle-changing mechanism to its wide looms and undertook performance testing. The test results, however, were not so favorable, because Sakichi had entrusted the building and pre-testing to others.
Reflecting on this experience, he developed an unwavering conviction that a product should never be sold unless it has been carefully manufactured and fully tested in the commercial trial, with completely satisfactory results.

As it will be mentioned afterwards, Sakichi later traveled to the United States and Europe on a observation trip. He visited Dr. Jokichi Takamine at his home in New York. Dr. Takamine was world-renowned for having been the first person to successfully extract Taka-Diastase and adrenaline. Dr. Takamine explained that an inventor should never put his or her invention in the hands of others until it was developed as a practical product with useful social results and that this was the responsibility of an inventor. Sakichi was inspired and took this advice to heart.

In 1905, Sakichi invented the Toyota power loom, 1905 type, equipped with the improved warp let-off mechanism. The loom also had a sturdy structure, built of wood and steel. This was followed in 1906 by an improved version called the Toyota power loom, 1906 type. The 1906 type greatly improved efficiency and fabric quality.

In 1906, Sakichi also realized what he considered to be the other ultimate goal besides the invention of the automatic loom — inventing an energy-efficient circular loom that wove cloth through an optimal circular motion. Up until this time, looms used a horizontal reciprocal motion to move the shuttle carrying weft and weave. By contrast, the circular loom used a circular motion to move the shuttle and the weft insertion and beating were done quietly and uninterruptedly. This had never been done before.

Overcoming setbacks

In 1907, on the recommendation of Mitsui Bussan, Toyoda’s Loom Works, Ltd. (presently Howa Machinery, Ltd.) was established with funds provided by investors in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya. This newly established company took over control of the plant and employees of Toyoda Shokai Co. Sakichi assumed the duties of managing director and chief engineer and continued to devote his efforts to invention and research.

Nonetheless, because the new company did not allow commercial trials for which Sakichi held such a strong conviction, he set up his own individually operated commercial trial plant (later Toyoda ShokufuKikui Kojo) in 1909. Toyoda’s Loom Works, Ltd. was eventually beset by poor business results, causing Sakichi grave concern as he was the chief engineer handling invention and research and a director who could not neglect management of the company. In 1910, Sakichi resigned from Toyoda’s Loom Works, Ltd. and set out on an observation trip to the United States and Europe to make a fresh start.

Sakichi went to the West Coast of the United States from where he crossed the country. He visited many weaving factories in the Upper East Coast region. While amazed at the scale of these operations and their experimental facilities, he saw many weaknesses in the looms operated there and was not very impressed.

Sakichi then traveled to England where he visited loom manufacturers and weaving mills in the Manchester area. This observation trip instilled him with confidence in the superiority of his original loom. He made his way back to Japan refreshed.

A Strong Commitment to Invention

After returning to Japan from his observation trip to the United States and Europe, Sakichi labored to raise capital and in 1911 he established the independently operated Toyoda JidoShokufu Kojo (Toyoda Automatic Weaving Mill) as a proving ground for his inventions in the Noritake-Shinmachi area of Nishi-ward, Nagoya.

The invention and perfection of his automatic loom, however, did not diminish Sakichi’s passion for invention, as the completion of a circular loom continued to be his lifelong pursuit.

Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, Ltd. Sets Sail

Following the successful development of the automatic loom, on November 17, 1926, the incorporation meeting of Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, Ltd. (now Toyota Industries Corporation) was held at the head office of Toyoda Boshoku in Nagoya City. Toyoda Automatic Loom Works’ establishment was officially registered the following day on November 18. Risaburo Toyoda, Sakichi’s son-in-law, was named President. Kiichiro Toyoda was Managing Director.

As stated in Toyoda Automatic Loom Works’ Articles of Incorporation, in addition to the manufacture and marketing of spinning and weaving machinery, a major objective of the company “shall be pursuing related invention and research.” This was an unprecedented concept that originated from the experiences of Sakichi.

The Type G automatic loom soon became well known not only in Japan but in the world. Focusing its attention on the excellence of the Type G automatic loom, Platt Brothers & Co., Ltd., a world-leading textile machinery manufacturer based in England, proposed a patent rights transfer.

In 1929, Toyoda Automatic Loom Works concluded a patent rights transfer agreement with Platt Brothers that provided production and marketing rights of the Type G automatic loom in countries except Japan, China and the United States. The worldwide recognition of a Japanese invention and the request from a foreign company for a patent rights transfer were a truly noteworthy event in the technological history of Japan and instilled confidence in many Japanese.

Sakichi Toyoda passed away in October 1930, having devoted his 63 years to invention. To commemorate the company founder, who was the spiritual support of the Toyoda companies, a monument was constructed on the first anniversary of his passing and a bust of Sakichi was erected on the fifth anniversary. In 1935, there were eight Toyoda companies and more than 13,000 workers. To express our corporate philosophy and thoroughly impress this upon all employees, the top management of Toyoda companies assembled the “Toyoda Precepts” to clearly crystallize the spirit of Sakichi Toyoda.