Exploring The Digital Realm: Toyota's Virtual Plant Tour Offers a Manufacturing Experience embellished beyond Reality
Toyota Unveils Virtual Plant Tour, Offering Behind-the-Scenes Insight into Manufacturing Processes
Toyota Motor Corporation has launched a new initiative, the Toyota Virtual Plant Tour, providing an accessible and inclusive look into its manufacturing processes. The project, rooted in Toyota's long-standing principles, aims to convey the expertise and ingenuity of its workforce while promoting continuous improvement and transparency.
The Virtual Plant Tour is a testament to Toyota's commitment to openness, inclusivity, and continuous improvement. It offers a behind-the-scenes view of the company's manufacturing processes, aligning with Toyota's broader values of valuing every team member's voice and fostering a culture where diverse workforces can thrive.
The project is a natural extension of Toyota's principles, such as the Toyota Production System (TPS), which emphasizes eliminating waste, continuous improvement (Kaizen), and creating value by focusing on processes that truly matter. By enabling virtual access, Toyota extends these principles beyond the factory floor, enhancing understanding and appreciation of their commitment to efficiency, quality, environmental stewardship, and safety in manufacturing.
The Virtual Plant Tour initiative supports Toyota’s ambition to be an inclusive "plant of the future," leveraging cutting-edge technology not just for production but also for human engagement and education. This aligns with Toyota's wider goals linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals of creating a safer, greener, and more inclusive society where mobility is accessible to all.
The idea for the virtual tour was born out of necessity, following the suspension of in-person plant tours due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Akiko Kita, Group Manager of the Toyota Virtual Plant Tour project, led the team in constructing the website over the course of a year. The project team sought input from more than 40 people, including higher-ups and production floor workers, to ensure the content and site design communicated Toyota's philosophy and dedication.
The first Toyota plant tour began in 1939 at the Koromo plant, based on guidelines personally drawn up by Kiichiro Toyoda. Over six decades, more than 13.3 million people have toured these facilities. Before the pandemic, Toyota welcomed approximately 130,000 domestic and foreign visitors annually to its Motomachi, Takaoka, and Tsutsumi plants in Toyota City.
In response to the suspension of in-person plant tours, the staff received messages from customers expressing a desire to visit again. This desire for connection and understanding led to the idea of launching a website where people can tour a plant remotely.
The Toyota Virtual Plant Tour project aims to carry on Kiichiro Toyoda's passion for informing others about Toyota's monozukuri (manufacturing) and the people who underpin it. Toyota's strength lies in evolution through kaizen (continuous improvement), a core principle of its manufacturing. The project was guided by Oyaji Kawai, who stated that Toyota's strength lies in evolution through kaizen. The Toyota Virtual Plant Tour site should be designed around "human-centered monzukuri."
The COVID-19 pandemic led to the shutdown of many auto industry plants, including those operated by Toyota, due to delays in parts procurement and logistics. Despite these challenges, Toyota's Virtual Plant Tour project team remained committed to their goal, continuing to brainstorm ideas throughout the construction process.
The Toyota Kaikan Museum, responsible for the plant tours, also oversees the Toyota Virtual Plant Tour project. The project aims to provide an engaging and educational experience, offering a glimpse into the heart of Toyota's evolution—the people who drive its success.
The Toyota Virtual Plant Tour, rooted in Toyota's principles, extends beyond the factory floor, using technology to promote transparency and accessibility in the manufacturing industry, fostering a culture where diverse workforces can thrive. This project, inspired by Toyota's values, aligns with the company's wider goals of creating a sustainable and inclusive society, as outlined by the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Toyota's Virtual Plant Tour initiative leverages cutting-edge technology not just for production but also for human engagement and education, thereby supporting Toyota's ambition to be an inclusive "plant of the future" in both the manufacturing and finance sectors. The project is a testament to Toyota's commitment to innovation and continuous improvement, backed by the relentless pursuit of efficiency, quality, environmental stewardship, and safety in technology and finance-driven industries.
