Toyota India Plant Visit
Toyota has completed 20 years of operations in the Indian market
Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) was founded in 1997 and produced the first-ever Toyota Qualis in the year 2000. Since then the brand has seen nothing but success and to celebrate this triumph, the Japanese automaker invited us to visit their plant located in Bidadi in the outskirts of Karnataka near Bengaluru to witness what goes on behind the scenes. TKM has seen many important milestones such as the launch of the Corolla in 2003 and Etios in 2010. Cars like the Innova and Fortuner have been dominating their segments ever since their launches in 2005 and 2009 respectively. This year, Toyota is also celebrating the completion of 20 years in the Indian market
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Morning assembly at Toyota Technical Training Institute
The visit started with a tour of the Toyota Technical Training Institute (TTTI) where students are given training and real-world experience to work on cars. This helps them understand how certain machines and technologies work rather than relying on theoretical knowledge. Students are trained with real Toyota cars multiple times in order to gain practical experience. Many students are capable of disassembling and reassembling a Toyota on their own. Over 6000 students from rural areas apply for this training, out of which 64 of them are selected. These students are provided basic education followed by industrial training in order to make them ready to work in factories and dealerships across the country. Toyota covers all their expenses and even provides a fixed stipend along with lodging and other amenities. A dormitory is located within the plant. The training also teaches them how to work in a team, tackle problems and nurture leadership skills in order to minimise errors and maximise efficiency.
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Each student undergoes real world training
The 432-acre plant is divided into two parts – the first plant is committed to manufacturing Toyota’s UVs such as the Innova and the Fortuner while the second plant produces the Etios line, Camry and Corolla. The plant also includes an onsite supplier and warehouse. This warehouse ships both Toyota and Lexus parts to dealerships across the country and is very well organised. The plant constitutes of over 6400 employees and has a capacity of producing over 3 lakh units annually. Toyota’s Customer First approach relies on 4 important parameters: Pre-Sales, Sales, After-Sales and Re-Purchase.
