Funny you should mention Hiroshima. You all got my curiosity going on this subject, so I did a web search for Toyota in Japan. Very interesting reading. Did you know Toyota was named for the Toyoda family who wished to change the name to make it easier and separate it from their family?
The Toyoda family lived in Nagoya, Japan which was the center of the silk industry. They develped electric looms to make cloth. When the silk industry took a dive, they turned their abilities to making army truck engines in the late 1930's. Thus was Toyota born.
The founder had witnessed large GM and Ford plants in Yokohama, and made a trip to Detroit to see if he could build comparable cars. He decided he could do just as well in Japan. 1966, Corolla was born. 1973, energy crisis in U.S. gave small cars a boost.
They also revolutionized factory production by ordering supplies only when needed and bringing small batches of them to the assembly line where needed, instead of warehousing. This "lean" production system is copied today. They also made all their workers inspectors also, so a defect could be caught on the line and corrected.
The founder of the company also wanted to build an auto to compete with the best American vehicles; thus was Lexus born in 1989.
The founder of this company is an octogenarian still alive today. There is a Toyota plant in Hiroshima. Does anyone know just which plant the Scion is made in?
The Toyoda family lived in Nagoya, Japan which was the center of the silk industry. They develped electric looms to make cloth. When the silk industry took a dive, they turned their abilities to making army truck engines in the late 1930's. Thus was Toyota born.
The founder had witnessed large GM and Ford plants in Yokohama, and made a trip to Detroit to see if he could build comparable cars. He decided he could do just as well in Japan. 1966, Corolla was born. 1973, energy crisis in U.S. gave small cars a boost.
They also revolutionized factory production by ordering supplies only when needed and bringing small batches of them to the assembly line where needed, instead of warehousing. This "lean" production system is copied today. They also made all their workers inspectors also, so a defect could be caught on the line and corrected.
The founder of the company also wanted to build an auto to compete with the best American vehicles; thus was Lexus born in 1989.
The founder of this company is an octogenarian still alive today. There is a Toyota plant in Hiroshima. Does anyone know just which plant the Scion is made in?
