Toyota in India

Posted on August 28, 2005 by John Hunter

Topic: Management Improvement

The Toyota Way Goes Bottom-up by Subir Roy, Business Standard (India). An interview with managing director of Toyota Kirloskar: Atsushi Toyoshima.

Toyota’s official vision is a 15 per cent share of the global market by 2010. But that is just a convenient number. The key internal focus has been set by the new president who has identified three goals: offer drastically better value in terms of environment, safety, quality and cost; contribute to the economy; and give something back to society through non-business activity (corporate social responsibility).

None of the 3 main internal goals are directly related to profit. See the previous Curious Cat post on this topic: the Purpose of an Organization. Toyota is the most profitable automobile company in the world. I believe other companies would be wise to learn from them.

He sees a change in India and has an observation to share. The number of Indian manufacturing companies applying for and winning the Deming prize (named after an American expert who helped post-war Japan set out on the holy grail of quality) is indication of the desire for excellence.

In several ways this article from India shows the incredible globalization taking place. The paragraph above has an American who influenced Japan who are now influencing India. And the comments of a Japanese, Toyota executive stationed in India are being listened to worldwide (such as by me, in America, and now you – wherever you are). It just struck me, in this particular instance, how small a world it has become in some ways.

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