From Factory To Forecourt: Toyota Builds A Car On Twitter

KEY POINTS

• Toyota to use Twitter to follow step-by-step the building of a car at its UK factory
• World-first initiative embraces all aspects of car production at the British plant
• Project will illustrate the built-in quality of the Toyota Production System, the foundation for all Toyota’s global operations and a way-of-working concept adopted by businesses worldwide
• Hundreds of tweets will provide a detailed explanation of the complete production process, supported by images, video clips and personal contributions from the Toyota workforce
• Fourteen-hour project will be supported by comprehensive on-line resources to  create a lasting and valuable educational resource
• Follow @toyotafactory and #f2f from 6am BST on Wednesday, 19 June

Toyota is taking to Twitter to reveal the principles and processes it uses to build cars at its UK plant in a world-first social media project. Next Wednesday (19 June), it will broadcast hundreds of tweets that will follow the production of a new Toyota Auris Hybrid, from raw steel to a vehicle ready for customer delivery.

Minute-by-minute, across 14 hours from 6am, Factory to Forecourt will chart panel stamping, welding, painting, plastics, assembly and quality control. As well as explaining the different activities involved – there are 325 separate processes on the assembly line alone – it will demonstrate how the principles of the Toyota Production System are fundamental to the way the people work in the factory and ensure the best built-in quality for owners.

Throughout the day, followers will be able to interact with the Toyota team, adding their comments and asking questions.

The Toyota Production System is a globally renowned business philosophy that has been adopted by thousands of businesses worldwide and not just within automotive and manufacturing. In the UK, for example, the National Health Service has used it to help improve its quality control processes. The Factory to Forecourt project has been designed to provide a valuable educational resource, for school and further education students alike, across a wide range of disciplines.

The @ToyotaFactory Twitter feed will include links to images and more detailed information resources including specially commissioned film footage from inside the Burnaston plant. The videos include contributions from members of the workforce, giving personal insights into how the Toyota Production System gives every worker on the line responsibility for quality, at every stage.

Scott Brownlee, head of social media for Toyota GB, said: “This project does more than simply show what we do inside the walls of our factory, it presents it in the context of the commitment to quality that is the guiding principle of the way Toyota works worldwide and the first priority of everyone who works for the company.”

How to access Factory to Forecourt

On Twitter: follow @toyotafactory and #f2f, live from 6am BST, Wednesday 19 June

On Facebook: visit www.facebook.com/toyotauk

The official Toyota blog: visit mag.toyota.co.uk

ENDS