Toyota's Plants: Inheritance & Evolution is a series introducing the history and future vision of individual production facilities. This article focuses on the Honsha Plant's current situation and the challenges it is undertaking for the future.
[Machining Division ] Keepers of the TPS tradition
[Machining Division] Keepers of the TPS tradition
The Machining Division, which has been working on hybrids (HEVs) since the days of the original Prius, also has another role: handing down the Toyota Production System (TPS) tradition.
Like Forging, the Machining Division has been part of the plant since 1938. It produced the hybrid transaxles*—a component that optimizes engine and motor output according to driving conditions—used in the Prius.
*Currently, hybrid transaxle production has been transferred to the Kinuura Plant (Hekinan, Aichi) and other facilities.
Today, the Machining Division centers its efforts on batteries, having begun battery pack production with the Prius Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) released in 2009.
In the near future, the division also plans to produce larger battery packs for BEVs, and is currently tackling the challenge of prototyping cells for all-solid-state batteries. Beyond cars, it is also expanding possibilities with large-capacity stationary power systems.
And, as the birthplace of TPS, the Machining Division’s other crucial role is to pass on know-how via the TPS Fundamentals Line.
From 1953 to 1957, the division was led by Taiichi Ohno, the man who codified the TPS and later served as vice president of what is now Toyota Motor Corporation.
Ohno’s teachings have been inherited by the Machining Division, which uses the TPS Fundamentals Line to boost the success rates of tasks through karakuri (simple mechanisms that make tasks easier) and kaizen (continuous improvement).
Hiroshi Imai, a group leader in the division’s Machining Section No.4, explained the line’s purpose.
Hiroshi Imai, Group Leader, Machining Section No.4, Machining Div.
We have to ensure that TPS is here for future Toyota generations. From this idea, the Fundamentals Line was created as a platform for practical learning.
On this line, we have deliberately installed only the bare essentials, with some sections operated mainly by hand rather than relying on machines. Instead of putting blind faith in machinery, we explore what people are capable of. We need such opportunities, just as those who came before us at Toyota.
Last year some 300 people toured the facility, including outside visitors, helping to spread TPS expertise beyond simply developing in-house talent.