Personnel Matters

Information Systems

Toyota has actively propelled growth and innovation in its information systems by incorporating new information processing technologies while responding to various changes in the external environment, including rapid globalization of development, manufacturing, and sales operations; advancements in car electronics technologies; compliance with global environmental standards; and changes in the Japanese and global economy.

Growth and innovation of information systems at Toyota in the second half of the 1980s to first half of the 1990s saw advances in office automation and in the globalization of corporate systems in the commercial systems of business application systems. In the engineering systems of business application systems, Toyota applied in-house-developed CAD/CAM systems to broader areas of activity and also extended them to supplier operations.

From the second half of the 1990s to the early 2000s, advancements in administrative systems made information systems more globally adaptable and also brought about reform of Toyota's overall management structure. Innovations in engineering system made engineering data more integrated and more useable on a global basis.

From the early to late 2000s, Toyota sought to globally standardize all business application systems and make better use of information. Even such IT infrastructure as IC network systems were globally standardized and shifted to TCP/IP-based systems in Japan and overseas. The economic crisis that shook the world from 2008 to 2009 also had a major impact on Toyota's information divisions. Since then, Toyota has sought to improve the efficiency of system development and maintenance and has instituted structural reform of its system development and maintenance organization.

Developments in Business Data Processing Systems

Year
Events
1957
Data Processing Section established within the Financial Department, Toyota Motor Sales Co., Ltd.
1960
Data Processing Section established within the General Research Department, Toyota Motor Co., Ltd.
1964
Data Processing Department established within Toyota Motor Co., Ltd.
1965
Data Processing Department established within Toyota Motor Sales Co., Ltd.
1968
Information Systems Department established within Toyota Motor Co., Ltd.
1969
Information Systems Section completed at Takaoka Plant
1974
Information Systems Department merged with Technical Computer Center following completion of Information Systems Building
1978
Data Systems Department established within Toyota Motor Sales Co., Ltd.
1983
New Information Systems Department launched following consolidation of Head Office and Nagoya Office
C80 Promotion Department established
1987
Information Systems Division 2 launched
Year
Events
1954
IBM computers
1960
NCR31 (accounting machine)*
IIBM 650
1962
FACOM 222*
1963
IBM 7074 and 1401
1965
FACOM 230/30*
1966
IBM 1440 (manufacturing computers)
1967
IBM 360/40*
1968
IBM 360/50
1969
IBM 360/40 (manufacturing computers)
1972
IBM 370/155
1973
IBM 370/145*
1974
Head Office and plant manufacturing computers integrated (plants' IBM 360/40 manufacturing computers returned)
1978
IBM 3033
1981
FACOM M-200*
1982
IBM 3081
1984
Head Office and Nagoya Office data processing systems integrated (offices' FACOM M-200 computers returned)
1985
High-speed digital lines (NTT) used
1986
IBM 3084
*
Introduced to Toyota Motor Sales Co., Ltd.
Year
Events
1973
Electronic processing and centralized management of BOM(Bill of Materials) data (wins outstanding information processing system award in 1975)
1975
Operations using BOM systems computerized, including:
- Parts logistics calculations
- Price management of purchased parts
1980
All-Toyota BOM data transfer system established
1981
Engine BOM
Year
Events
1966
10-days ordering system
1970
Daily ordering system (wins Okochi Memorial Foundation Prize for Production in 1972)
1970
Data processing systems at Toyota Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Sales' head offices and plants directly linked
1974
10-days ordering plus daily change system
1979
Ordering system improved
Overseas data communications system
1980
Domestic data communications system
1982
Order forecast system
1984
NUMMI computer system
1986
Dealers' online system
Year
Events
1957
Delivery notice for purchased parts
1961
Calculation of necessary parts and materials units
1966
Online production instruction system installed at Takaoka Plant (Motomachi Plant in 1969, Tsutsumi Plant in 1970, Tahara Plant in 1981, Honsha Plant in 1983)
- Assembly instruction
- Delivery notice for key parts
1974
Exhaust gas system for mass-produced vehicles
1980
Instruction methods improved
- Andon and Tamadashi-ki automated
- Label printers and magnetic cards adopted
1987
New materials system
Year
Events
1961
Spare parts inventory management
1969
Online dispatch instructions
1975
New spare parts system
1981
Integrated export vehicle system
1983
New car delivery system development for company merger
1987
New-vehicle logistics data system
Year
Events
1962
Monthly payment bill processing
1971
Registered information system
1973
Catalog publishing system
1979
System for surveying vehicles in operation
1983
C80 system introduced at dealers nationwide
Year
Events
1954
Result calculations, including
- Cost of materials
- Depreciation
- Man-hours
- Cost of parts purchased
1955
Result calculations, including
- Payroll
1970
Integrated quality system
1978
OCR processing
New personnel data system
Total accounting information system
1980
Facilities management system
1981
Chinese characters adopted
Monthly account settlement processing improved
1982
HR, account and finance systems development for company merger
1983
Distributed processing
New quality data system
Image processing
1984
Support for personal computer use
1986
Management information system