Monday started with an orientation session to understand Japanese culture and customs. This is sage advice as you need to know these essential details to make the most of your trip.

We headed to a Toyota city sushi restaurant for an early lunch before heading to the assembly plant and Gemba tour

Our host plant was Takaoka plant, originally built in 1966, with 5000 employees on 2 shifts 5 days a week.

Production is of Auris, Harrier and RAV4’s with 370,000 produced last year

Our Gemba tour was approximately an hour long and we were able to get up close to the logistics and assembly areas

This plant was set up with a conveyor platform rather than a continuous line meaning each vehicle has its own fixed base and cell for assembly.

The guide took us through a number of audio visual presentations to explain the system and the Toyota commitment to their “Thinking System” and the environment.

With a Takt of 60 seconds this was a busy operation but everything looked effortlessly synchronised and a joy to watch.

Highly recommend!