TheTahara plant(Japanese:Điền nguyên công trường,Hepburn:Tahara kōjō)is anautomobileplant inTahara, Aichi,Japan owned byToyota Motor Corporation.The address is 3–1 Midorigahama, Tahara City, Aichi Prefecture.[1]
History
editThe Tahara plant began vehicle production in January 1979.[2]The plant was built on reclaimed land, and the site currently spans 4.03 million square meters.[3]
It is the mostcomputerizedand robotized automotive plant in the world[citation needed]and producesLexusbrand vehicles, including theLexus IS,Lexus GS,Lexus LS,Lexus GX,Lexus RC,andLexus LX,Lexus NX,Lexus LMmodels.[4]SeveralToyotavehicles have been assembled there as well, including theCelica,Land Cruiser,Land Cruiser Prado,RAV4/Vanguard,4Runnerand the ultra-luxuryCentury SUV.[5]The plant also manufactures engines, including their V8 engines, one of only two Toyota plants globally which manufactures such engine types.[6]Current Toyota vehicles being produced at the Tahara plant are the following: Toyota 4Runner.[2][7]
Employees look through 4,000 details for every car produced. The plant creates a Lexus every 87 seconds, equal to 675 Lexus models per day. When employees enter the factory floor, they pass through an air shower to remove dust. They are required to exercise and perform other physical activities such as holding and rolling golf balls in their palms.[8]These motor exercises keep staff sharp, and Toyota believes these behaviors are essential to help retain the standards necessary to produce flawless vehicles.[9]
The New York TimescolumnistThomas Friedmanvisited the plant in the early 1990s, and described the experience as an example of globalization in his best-selling 1999 book,The Lexus and the Olive Tree.[10]In his book, Friedman detailed the precise installation of windshield rubber seals by the factory's robots, along with human quality controls.[10]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^"TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION GLOBAL WEBSITE | 75 Years of TOYOTA | Japanese and Overseas Facilities | Japanese Facilities".toyota-global.Retrieved2024-04-11.
- ^ab"Tahara Plant".Toyota Motor Corporation. 2012.Retrieved12 April2014.
- ^"TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION GLOBAL WEBSITE | 75 Years of TOYOTA | General Status of Plants in Japan | Tahara Plant".toyota-global.Retrieved2024-04-11.
- ^Schreffler, Roger (2009-06-26)."Lexus Plant Top of Manufacturing Pyramid in Japan".Ward's Auto.Archived fromthe originalon 2014-04-15.Retrieved2009-07-15.
- ^CORPORATION, TOYOTA MOTOR."Toyota to Launch New Century in Japan | Toyota | Global Newsroom".Toyota Motor Corporation Official Global Website.Retrieved2024-04-11.
- ^Gilboy, James (2020-04-23)."Toyota Poised to Kill Its V-8s, Replace Them With Turbo V-6s Within Three Years".The Drive.Retrieved2024-04-11.
- ^Faulner, Melissa (2024-04-10)."2025 Toyota 4Runner Refines Adventure Ready Heritage".Toyota USA Newsroom.Retrieved2024-04-11.
- ^"Master craftsmen at work".Asia One Motoring. Archived fromthe originalon 2009-12-18.Retrieved2009-08-16.
- ^"A Look Inside Toyota's Tahara Plant".Archived fromthe originalon 2019-04-23.Retrieved2007-09-25.
- ^abFriedman, Thomas L. (1999) "The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization", p. 32–33. New York, Anchor Books,ISBN0-374-19203-0
External links
edit- Lexus TaharaArchived2009-09-09 at theWayback Machine- official site (in Japanese)