The Training Within Industry (TWI) service was created by the United States Department of War, running from 1940 to 1945 within the War Manpower Commission. The purpose was to provide consulting services to war-related industries whose personnel were being conscripted into the US Army at the same time the War Department was issuing orders for additional matériel. It was apparent that the shortage of trained and skilled personnel at precisely the time they were needed most would impose a hardship on those industries, and that only improved methods of job training would address the shortfall.^[1] By the end of World War II, over 1.6 million workers in over 16,500 plants had received a certification. The program continued post-war in Europe and Asia, where it aided reconstruction. It is most notable in the business world for inspiring the concept of kaizen in Japan. In addition, the program became the foundation of the Toyota Production System and the DoD resourced open source Management System (3.1).

Number of card transactions worldwide 2023, by brand; Purchase volume per credit card in U.S. In 2000 and 2010, with a forecast for 2018; Credit card holders per brand in the U.S. In 2000 and 2010.

Overview[edit]

1. Toyota Industries Corporation was founded in 1926 by Sakichi Toyoda to manufacture and sell the automatic looms which he had invented. Since then Toyota Industries has diversified and expanded the scope of its business domains to include textile machinery, automobiles (vehicles, engines, car air-conditioning compressors, etc.), materials handling equipment and electronics.
2. Since its foundation in 1926, Toyota Industries has provided innovative products, leading changes in the times for 90 years. Today, Toyota Industries has grown into a global company, offering customers around the world an array of quality products, including textile machinery, materials handling equipment and automobile-related products.

The four basic training programs (10-hour sessions) developed by TWI were developed by experts on loan from private industry. Because of the intensity of the situation, a large number of experimental methods were tried and discarded. This resulted in a distilled, concentrated set of programs. Each program had introductory programs called 'Appreciation Sessions' that were used to sell the programs to top management and introduce the programs to middle management of a company. Each program also had 'Train-the-Trainer' programs and handbooks called 'Institute Conductor's Manual' for the master trainers.^[2] The TWI Service also developed a number of 'Staff Only' training programs to support staff development and to improve the implementation success.

The TWI trainers had to be invited to a factory in order to present their material. In order to market the service, they developed the Five Needs of the Supervisor: every supervisor needs to have Knowledge of the Work, Knowledge of Responsibility, Skill in Instructing, Skill in Improving Methods, and Skill in Leading.^[2] Each program was based on Charles Allen's 4-point method of Preparation, Presentation, Application, and Testing.

The 10-hour Sessions were:

• Job Instruction (JI) - a course that taught trainers (supervisors and experienced workers) to train inexperienced workers faster. The instructors were taught to break down jobs into closely defined steps, show the procedures while explaining the key points and the reasons for the key points, then watch the student attempt under close coaching, and finally to gradually wean the student from the coaching. The course emphasized the credo, 'If the worker hasn't learned, the instructor hasn't taught'.^[2] At the request of enterprises outside of manufacturing, variations to the JI program were developed for hospitals, office and farms.
• Job Methods (JM) - a course that taught workers to objectively evaluate the efficiency of their jobs and to methodically evaluate and suggest improvements. The course also worked with a job breakdown, but students were taught to analyze each step and determine if there were sufficient reason to continue to do it in that way by asking a series of pointed questions. If they determined some step could be done better by eliminating, combining, rearranging, or simplifying, they were to develop and apply the new method by selling it to the 'boss' and co-workers, obtaining approval based on safety, quality, quantity, and cost, standardizing the new method, and giving credit.^[2]
• Job Relations (JR) - a course that taught supervisors to deal with workers effectively and fairly. It emphasized the lesson, 'People Must Be Treated As Individuals'.^[2]
• Program Development (PD) - the meta-course that taught those with responsibility for the training function to assist the line organization in solving production problems through training.^[2]

There was also a short-lived course that taught union personnel (UJR) to work effectively with management.^[2]

Additional programs[edit]

Internal training programs were; 'Management Contact Manual' (1944) - a formal training course on how to sell the TWI programs to management, 'How to get Continuing Results from TWI Programs in a Plant' (1944) - this training program was the out-growth of two years of practical experimentation and experience on what it took to have a successful implementation of TWI.

• Job Safety (JS) - While the US TWI Service chose to not develop a JS program, stating that safety was part of every job, Canada led the way with the first variant that was closely modeled on the JI program. This program was offered to England, which declined and developed a JS program that focused on discovery of risk and resolution. Copies of the British programs were circulated in Japan starting about 1948.^[3]
• Problem Solving (PS) - There are two different programs using similar names. The TWI Foundation released their PS program in 1946 and follows the standard J program format. TWI, Inc. released their program in 1955 and is a much more comprehensive program that revolves around using the JI, JR and JM programs for problem solving.^[4]
• Discussion Leading (DL) - This is an early work in developing what is now recognized as facilitation skills. TWIF also produced a variant of this program called Conference Leading.

Expansion to other nations[edit]

There were several groups that had an impact in the expansion of the TWI programs around the world - US State Department, US Army, British Ministry of Labour,International Labor Organization (ILO) and Standard Oil.^[5]In 1944, the British Ministry of Labour sent Frank Perkins to the US to evaluate the TWI programs.^[6] In the summer of 1944, Perkins returned to England to establish a similar program. The British Ministry of Labour actively promoted the TWI programs, listing 65 countries in addition to the US and England where TWI was known to be in use as of 1959.^[7] Expansion into Europe was led by Standard Oil, which led the translation efforts of the manuals into native languages. Some European TWI activity was done under the Marshall Plan by 'Visiting Experts' (VE), with limited success. It was the later work by the ILO using the Standard Oil translations and re-translation efforts that established the TWI programs in Europe. The ILO TWI training program in Bangalore India has the distinction of training the first Japanese about 1947.^[8]

Post war[edit]

Although the TWI program funding for application of the programs in the USA by the government ended in 1945, the US government did fund the introduction to the war-torn nations of Europe and Asia. Several private groups continued to provide TWI in the US and abroad. Channing Dooley, Walter Dietz, Mike Kane and Bill Conover (collectively known as 'the Four Horsemen') continued the development of the 'J' programs by establishing the TWI Foundation.^[2] This group was responsible for continuing the spread of TWI throughout Europe and Asia. The Director of one of the district offices established TWI, Inc., and was hired by the US Government to provide TWI training in Japan. It was especially well received in Japan, where TWI formed the basis of the kaizen culture in industry. Kaizen, known by such names as Quality Circles in the West, was successfully harnessed by Toyota Motor Corporation in conjunction with the Lean or Just In Time principles of Taiichi Ohno. In the Foreword to Dinero's book 'Training Within Industry', John Shook relates a story in which a Toyota trainer brought out an old copy of a TWI service manual to prove to him that American workers at NUMMI could be taught using the 'Japanese' methods used at Toyota. Thus, TWI was the forerunner of what is today regarded as a Japanese creation.^[2]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^[1]
2. ^ ^abcdefghiDinero, Donald (2005). Training Within Industry: The Foundation of Lean. Portland, OR: Productivity Press. ISBN9781563273070.
3. ^(Reference: US National Archive SCAP collection)
4. ^(Reference: US National Archive SCAP collection; US National Archive TWIF Collection)
5. ^(Reference: US National Archives ; British National Archives; ILO Archives Geneva)
6. ^(Reference: British National Archives - Perkins Report - folder LAB 18-139)
7. ^(Reference: British National Archive - folder LAB 18-724)
8. ^(Reference: US National Archive SCAP collection - Japan; ILO Archives Geneva)

External links[edit]

• Official archives of the War Manpower Commission, also see SME site above for Archives downloads

Toyota Industries Corporation (株式会社豊田自動織機, Kabushiki gaisha Toyota Jidō Shokki) is a Japanese machine maker. Originally, and still (as of 2021), a manufacturer of automatic looms, it is the company from which Toyota Motor Corporation developed. It is the world's largest manufacturer of forklift trucks measured by revenues.^[2]

History[edit]

1920s[edit]

Toyota Industries Sound Cards & Media Devices Driver

The company was founded on 18 November 1926 as Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, Ltd. by Sakichi Toyoda, the inventor of a series of manual and machine-powered looms. The most impressive of these was the 1924 Toyoda Automatic Loom, Type G, a completely automatic high-speed loom featuring the ability to change shuttles without stopping and dozens of other innovations. At the time it was the world's most advanced loom, delivering a dramatic improvement in quality and a twenty-fold increase in productivity.^[3]In 2007, this machine was registered as item No. 16 in the Mechanical Engineering Heritage of Japan as 'a landmark achievement that advanced the global textile industry and laid the foundation for the development of the Toyota Group.'^[3]

1930s[edit]

In 1933, the company established its automobile department, led by Kiichiro Toyoda, the eldest son of Sakichi Toyoda. This department was spun off as Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. in 1937 and is now known as Toyota Motor Corporation. Toyota Industries is one of 13 core companies of the Toyota Group. The company owns 8.48% of Toyota Motor and is the largest shareholder (excluding trust revolving funds). As a countermeasure against hostile merger and acquisition attempts, Toyota Motor currently holds 24.92% of common stock of its origin Toyota Industries.^[4]

1940s[edit]

In 1940, the steel production department of Toyota separates from the company and becomes Toyota Steel Works Ltd. Its current name is now Aichi Steel Corporation. In 1944, Toyotas Obu Plant begins operations which produces castings. Five years later the Toyota stock was listed on the Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya Stock Exchanges.^[4]

1950s[edit]

In 1952 Toyota began producing press die for automobiles. One year later in 1953 the Kyowa plant began to assemble automobiles and produce engines. In 1956 Toyota unveiled the Model LA 1-ton lift truck, this was the company's first lift truck model. Following this in 1957 Toyota began producing D-type diesel engines. This same year the Model LAT .85-ton towing tractor was created. In the final year of the decade, Toyota began producing the P-type gasoline engine.^[4]

1960s[edit]

In 1960 the kyowa Plant was changed to create only lift trucks. This same year production of the shovel loader and three cylinder crank shaft type compressor began. Development Laboratories and Toyota Central Research was also created with funds from 10 Toyota group companies. 1964 was the year when Toyota became recognized by the ministry of International trade and industry as one of the first to export. Toyota also showed off their new automated continuous spinning system. In 1967 Toyota Publica pickup truck production began at the Nagakusa plant. Toyota also passes a monthly output of 1,000 units.^[4]

1970s[edit]

In 1971 production of the infamous Corolla begins. Toyota also reaches the landmark of 100,000 units produced. 1973 is the year that Toyota reached an output of 3,000 units. One year later in 1974 production began on car air-conditioning compressors.^[4]

1980s[edit]

In 1980 production on the JA air begins. Sometime in 1984 the engine division of Toyota separated from the vehicle division. In 1986 Toyota received the Deming Application prize for quality control implementation. In 1988 Toyota Industrial Equipment is created in Indiana, US.^[4]

1990s[edit]

In 1991 Toyota reaches the landmark of 5 million units produced. A year later in 1992 Toyota sets up an Environmental Committee.^[4]

Current business[edit]

Toyota Industries is active in five business areas: automotive, materials handling, electronics, logistics, and textile machinery.

Toyota-branded forklifts from Toyota Industries share the same logo as Toyota automobiles from Toyota Motor Corporation and are manufactured at the Toyota Industrial Equipment Manufacturing (TIEM) facility in Columbus, Indiana, for the US market.

Toyota Industries Corporation is under contract from Toyota Motor Corporation for the production of the Toyota Vitz/Yaris and the Toyota RAV4. The company manufactures automotive engines for use in Toyota-brand automobiles such as Avensis, Corolla, Crown, and Land Cruiser.

In 2000, Toyota Industries acquired the Swedish-based forklift truck corporation BT Industries, alongside BT's subsidiaries The Raymond Corporation and CESAB^[5]. Combined with Toyota Industries' materials handling division, this created the largest forklift company in the world, Toyota Material Handling Corporation.

Toyota Industries Sound Cards & Media Devices Drivers

In October 2012, Toyota Industries acquired Cascade Corp., a maker of attachments for forklifts, for a price of $728 million.^[6]

In 2017, Toyota Industries acquired Vanderlande Corp. a manufacturer of automated material handling solutions as well as Bastian Solutions on the North American market

Looms[edit]

In 2020, Toyota Industries was manufacturing two state-of-the-art looms: the JAT810 (air jet loom) and LWT810 (water jet loom). Both looms operate without shuttles. The water jet loom throws the weft through the warp threads using water, and thus can only be used with synthetic fibers. The air jet loom uses air to throw the weft, and thus can be use with any fiber.

Stock exchange[edit]

The company's shares are traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange under symbol 6201.T.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^Bodmer-Altura, Virginia F. (21 February 2012). 'USTER technologies to accept sweetened buy-up offer'. Retrieved 3 October 2020 – via Textile Future.
2. ^'Toyota Motor Affiliate to Buy Cascade for $759 Million'. Bloomberg. 23 October 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
3. ^ ^ab'Non-Stop Shuttle Change Toyoda Automatic Loom, Type G' (in Japanese). The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers.
4. ^ ^abcdefg'History 1990'. Japan: Toyota Industries Corporation. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
5. ^'Toyota Material Handling Europe acquires 100% ownership of Swiss Subsidiary'. Toyota Material Handling Europe. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
6. ^'Toyota Industries to buy Cascade for $728 mln'. Reuters. 22 October 2012.

External links[edit]