Toyota Group's Ongoing Certification Struggles: A Review of Recent Events and Current Action Plans
In an ongoing effort to enhance operational efficiency and maintain high-quality standards, the Toyota Group has launched a significant initiative called TPS Jishuken, or Joint Kaizen Activities. This collaborative problem-solving approach brings together various companies related to Toyota Motor Corporation to identify and resolve issues, with a particular focus on certification challenges.
## The Purpose of TPS Jishuken
The collaborative nature of TPS Jishuken encourages active participation and learning among employees from different departments and related companies. By focusing on continuous improvement, or kaizen, these sessions help refine processes, ensuring they are more efficient and effective. Regular interactions during Jishuken sessions also foster better communication between frontline workers and leadership, which is crucial for identifying and resolving issues promptly.
## Addressing Certification Issues
Toyota has faced certification challenges, including using methods that differed from national standards. As a result, regulatory bodies like the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism (MLIT) in Japan have taken corrective actions. To address these issues, Toyota has emphasised the need for cultural reforms alongside technical improvements. This includes regular visits by top management to the genba, where they engage with frontline workers to improve communication and identify potential problems early.
Toyota has also submitted measures to prevent the recurrence of certification issues and is working on refining its processes through these Jishuken sessions. The goal is to build a system for immediate issue identification and action.
## Key Activities and Outcomes
The Jishuken sessions are held monthly, allowing for consistent improvement and addressing of ongoing certification issues. Leaders like Chairman Akio Toyoda and President Koji Sato are actively involved in these sessions, ensuring that they are informed about daily operations and can provide timely feedback.
The four Toyota Group companies (Hino Motors, Daihatsu Motor, Toyota Industries Corporation, and Toyota Motor Corporation) are deepening their connections and working together to overcome group boundaries and job titles, fostering collaboration to face issues. They share industry issues and develop case studies, from minivehicles to heavy-duty vehicles to engines.
The group uses a material and information flow diagram to clarify the overall system behind their work, making it easier to identify delays caused by re-dos and reworkings. Chairman Akio Toyoda is leading the activities and praises the genba for revealing new insights.
In February 2023, Chairman Akio Toyoda established Akio Toyoda's Juku TPS Jishuken for Certification Work to prevent repeating past mistakes. The certification process for one Toyota Group model requires 1,300 pages of paperwork, and there is anxiety about performing the certification test correctly in one try due to extreme pressure. However, with the implementation of TPS Jishuken, Toyota is hopeful that it will address these challenges and continue to maintain its reputation for quality and efficiency.
By expanding collaboration among Toyota Group companies, industry leaders like Chairman Akio Toyoda and President Koji Sato are focusing on refining processes in finance, transportation, and the automotive business. Regular Jishuken sessions aim to build a system for immediate issue identification and action, addressing certification challenges that have been hindered by differing methods and national standards in the finance and automotive sectors.
