Toyota doesn’t do things by halves and the reaction of the world’s leading automaker to the unprecedented recalls that have recently hammered the company has been swift and far-reaching.
Toyota has established a new engineering quality improvement division and special committee for global quality – that latter with three senior executive members from Toyota Australia.
In a nutshell, Toyota has thrown its global might behind a renewed drive to advance quality to the next level and provide more transparent and rapid responses to customer concerns.
Changes are coming on-line in a rush – the Brake Override System will be introduced globally from next year. With this system – already fitted to the Hybrid Camry and third generation Prius models - if the brake and accelerator pedals are accidentally pressed simultaneously, fuel supply to the engine is shut off and only the brakes operate.
And while Australian vehicles were not involved in the broader North American and European recalls, the local Prius was recalled after two complaints for inconsistent brake feel. Toyota and its Australian dealers have already contacted all 2300 Prius owners affected and most have already been fixed (a 10-minute re-programming of the ABS anti-lock brake software).
According to David Buttner, Toyota Australia’s senior manager for sales and marketing, the actions which prompted the global recalls were not a systemic failure of Toyota’s processes and systems, but nevertheless fundamental changes will result.
“The spotlight on Toyota will lead to safer and better cars from every manufacturer,” Mr Buttner said. “As a result, new cars will be even more complex and the pressure on engineers will be intense.”
And while Toyota works on technical aspects, the company acknowledges that customer sensitivity is just as important. “Quality, Customer-First and Respect For People now overarches everything we do,” Mr Buttner added.
Toyota Australia is further developing its Customer Quality Engineering group based in Melbourne which works closely with Toyota Japan’s local Toyota Technical Center, also in Melbourne.
The three local executives on the global special committee for quality will spearhead comprehensive improvements to the company’s operations and promote quality improvement activities around the world.
“The global quality committee means Australia’s existing respected voice with Japan is being supplemented with the added strength of a regional voice,” Mr Buttner said. “The committee’s charter is to ensure all Toyota companies do better in listening to customers by operating with a Customer First mindset in every aspect of our operations.”
Toyota is also establishing global Customer First training centers – the Asia-Oceania version based in Bangkok – to provide regionally focused development and skills enhancement for employees.
That’s good news for Australian Toyota customers, the 276 local dealerships and our national economy. Locally, Toyota dealers will invest $107 million this year in new and improved facilities (dealer investments have topped $100 million for each of the past five years).
“The network’s annual turnover is more than $10 billion – generated by 11,000 staff who collectively earn in excess of $450 million a year,” Mr Buttner said. “Toyota dealerships inject a further $260 million buying goods and services within their local communities.”
Nationally, the Toyota dealership network employs around 1,000 apprectices and the company pioneered a joint national program with TAFE colleges that enables Year 11 and year 12 high-school students to train for automotive careers.
