Toyota India Plant Visit – Report

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

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.

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.

As part of Toyota’s Corporate Social Responsibility programme, the plant also incorporates an “Eco Park”. This Park is made up of fully recycled materials and is aimed at promoting Toyota’s love and respect for the environment. The plant utilises 87% of renewable energy to power its operations and also has solar panels installed. The Eco Park comprises of eleven theme parks, six of them have already been built. The Park also grows various fruits and vegetables at the side which is then served to the students living in the dormitory.

Indian customers have always vouched for the reliability of Toyota cars

Another key aspect of Toyota cars has been their reliability and affordable maintenance. Toyota had conducted a survey which concluded that many customers preferred to wait at the service centre to collect their vehicle as compared to leaving them for a few hours. Thus Toyota has introduced Express Maintenance which promises to service your car at an authorised dealership in 60 minutes or less at no extra cost. They also offer pre-paid maintenance packs based on the customer’s usage. This not only provides value to the customers but also gives them peace of mind. Toyota values their customers’ time and therefore offers Express Maintenance in 60, 90 and 120 minute packs for periodic maintenance as well as special repairs. Toyota also maintains an extensive service record of each car serviced at any dealership. This data helps them to predict and remind customers when their service is due. Toyota also showcased a mobile van that is operating in major cities. The main idea of this van is to provide doorstep service to customers.

Safety is another domain where Toyota pays utmost importance. Whether it is the plant or a Toyota dealership, all facilities have instructions and guidelines in order to minimise accidents. They even conduct drives and awareness campaigns in order to promote safety among people. These safety habits are also carried out while handling a customer’s car in order to ensure a unified and dignified delivery experience. Every person inside the factory has to wear safety shoes at all times and observe other safety protocols. Toyota has given its customers the power of choice in terms of service and test drives too. Customers can choose a longer test drive if they so desire.

Another important principle that comes under the ‘Toyota Way’ is Kaizen. Toyota is open to all kinds of feedback from its customers as they want to improve their services as much as possible. They make note of the customers’ feedback and have always given the customer the first priority. With this, they have been able to achieve an outstanding 80% Customer Service Retention. Toyota also prizes its waste and thus refers to any kind of waste generated as “Value”. The plant also contains a CBU recycling unit which extracts all the valuable components and fluids from damaged or test vehicles. Toyota even donates entire engine blocks to engineering colleges and institutions so that students can study on them.

Toyota has expanded its ideologies to all of its 359 dealerships across the country. We also got a chance to witness this in person with a visit to Viva Toyota located in Bengaluru. Here we got to observe Toyota’s Customer First approach. Toyota values customers’ time and hence has gone the extra mile to provide maximum value to its customers. Some dealerships will also be equipped with kiosk machines. These machines are installed so that the customer can compare various parameters in order to make an informed decision. All these factors prove how Toyota cares for its customers be it at the time of sales or after-sales. ‘The Toyota Way’ principles not only showcases Toyota’s continuous improvement in every field but also proves their love and respect for the environment and people. Toyota’s success is not only attributed to its reliable cars but also to its emphasis on a worry-free ownership experience.