Overseas
Overseas Services
The first after-sales services provided by Toyota outside Japan took place at service station in Southeast Asia in the 1940s. Until the mid-1960s, in the years leading up to Toyota's global emergence, service activities largely consisted of technical service training. Subsequently, as global markets expanded and vehicle sales surged, high-tech state-of-the-art products and technologies, and overseas production grew, Toyota focused on making continual improvements to its servicing systems in order to put local customers first and provide the best customer service in each city and town.
Year
|
Month
|
Events
|
---|---|---|
1944
|
|
Affiliates and branch offices, representative offices set up in the Philippines, Java (now Indonesia), Sumatra, Borneo, and Hong Kong
|
1952
|
August
|
Engineers sent to Taiwan to provide technical service training truck
|
1966
|
February
|
Representative office established in Nairobi, Kenya (closed in February 1978)
|
1970
|
August
|
1st Engine Cooling Performance and Air Conditioner Performance Test conducted in Death Valley, U.S.A.
|
November
|
1st Technical Servicing Conference held in the Middle East:
- Thereafter, held in Europe (March 1971), North America (June 1972), Australia and South Africa (October 1976), and Southeast Asia (November 1978) |
|
1973
|
October
|
1st Service Technician Training and Servicing of Customers held before TASS established in China(last held in 1987)
|
1974
|
January
|
1st Heater Performance and Startability Test conducted in Canada
|
August
|
1st Engine Cooling Performance and Air Conditioner Performance test conduced in the Middle East
|
|
1976
|
August
|
OJT team sent to Saudi Arabia for two years to strengthen organizing service systems
|
1978
|
March
|
Athens Representative office established in Greece (closed in March 1984)
|
May
|
Panama Representative office established in Panama
|
|
September
|
1st Service Management Seminar held in Southeast Asia:
- Thereafter, held in Latin America and the Caribbean (July 1980), Europe (October 1983), and the Middle East (April 1984) |
|
1980
|
January
|
Service technicians sent to Iraq (in association with sales contract with socialist countries) (until 1990)
|
July
|
Automobile Repair Company Beijing established
|
|
1981
|
February
|
Field Operations Manager system launched
|
1982
|
January
|
Toyota Quality Service (TQS) campaign commenced
|
March
|
Guangzhou Toyota Motor Authorized Service Co., LTD. established in China
|
|
1983
|
February
|
Toyota Parts and Service Award Program launched
|
September
|
'Look East' trainees from Malaysia accepted
|
|
1985
|
January
|
TQS Basic Program began
|
January
|
Certification and award according to the Award Criteria system introduced to Toyota Parts and Service Award Program
|
|
April
|
Internal Technical Service Meeting held
|
|
December
|
1st International Service Conference held (annually until 1995)
|
|
December
|
1st Product Technical Meeting held (annually until 1996)
|
|
1986
|
November
|
Technical training in developing countries started
|
1988
|
|
'Fix It Right' campaign launched
|
|
CSI Manual published; surveys commenced
|
|
1989
|
|
Lexus service systems built:
- Factory Technical Engineers (FTE) sent to the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East Engineers sent to support local dealers |
|
Technician training program, New TEAM (New Technical Education for Automotive Mastery) launched
|
|
1990
|
October
|
TMME (Europe) Training Center established
|
|
Toyota Technical Education Program (T-TEP) introduced
|
|
|
Toyota Service Training Network vision developed
|
|
1991
|
April
|
1st Annual Assembly of International Customer Service Champions held (continues to the present)
|
1991
|
|
Toyota Training Center in Bahrain established
|
|
Regional Technician Skills Grand Prix held annually:
- Europe (1991), the Middle East (1992), Asia (1993), Latin America (1994) |
|
1992
|
April
|
Toyota Training Center in Vladivostok, Russia established
|
November
|
Toyota Training Center in Sydney, Australia established
|
|
|
Toyota Authorized Service Station (TASS) established in the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, and China
|
|
1993
|
December
|
Toyota Training Center in Panama established
|
|
Diagnostic tool, Intelligent Tester, developed and introduced
|
|
1994
|
October
|
Toyota Training Center in Kenya established
|
|
Toyota Customer Service Marketing (TSM) program developed
|
|
|
BP (body paint) technician step program launched
|
|
|
Prioritized Quick Resolution (PQR) activities strengthened
|
|
1995
|
July
|
TMME Toyota Training Center BP Facility established
|
October
|
BP facility opened at the Toyota Training Centre in Bahrain
|
|
1996
|
November
|
BP category added to regional Technician Skills Grand Prix
|
|
TOPPS (Toyota Parts Procurement System) developed
|
|
|
BP Toyota Technical Education Program (T-TEP) introduced
|
|
1997
|
September
|
TOYOTA CARAVAN held
|
October
|
BP facility opened at the Toyota Training Center in Panama
|
|
November
|
BP technician certification program begins
|
|
1998
|
February
|
TSIN (Toyota Service Information Network) introduced
|
1999
|
April
|
Toyota Technical Training Centre in Cameroon established
|
|
Overseas servicing systems for Prius hybrids built
|
|
2000
|
November
|
Web portal on overseas customer service operations, OASIS(Overseas After Sales Information System) , launched
|
2002
|
|
TSM (Toyota Custer Service Workshop Management) Kaizen Dojo open at Toyota Technical Training Centers in Bahrain and Panama
|
|
'TEAM21' (Technical Education for Automotive Mastery in the 21st Century)introduced as revamped version of New TEAH technician's step-up training program
|
|
2003
|
November
|
BP added into TSM program
|
|
Proactive Prevention activities begins
|
|
|
CQE (Customer Quality Engineering office) in North America starts EDER (Early Detection Early Resolution)
|
|
2004
|
July
|
New diagnostic tool, Intelligent Tester II, developed and introduced
|
November
|
Toyota Motor Technical Research and Service in Shanghai and Guangzhou, China established
|
|
|
Service system for Innovative International Multipurpose Vehicle (IMV) project launched globally
|
|
|
Service systems for HV (hybrid vehicles) built
|
|
|
GLOVE (Global Vehicle Operation & Environment Information System) introduced
|
|
2005
|
June
|
Customer Service Operations Group established
|
|
TRIGGER system (Technical Report & Information Gathering System for Global EDER) developed
|
|
|
Service systems for TPCA-made (Czech Republic) Aygo built
|
|
2007
|
September
|
Diagnostic tool, Tech Stream, introduced in the U.S.
|
2008
|
September
|
TSM Kodawari program introduced
|
|
New service advisor program, TSA21 (Toyota Service Advisor 21 Century) , introduced
|
|
2010
|
December
|
New OASIS launched
|
2011
|
March
|
Global Service Center (GSC) construction decided
|
Year
|
Month
|
Events
|
---|---|---|
1959
|
October
|
First English repair manual published
|
1960
|
January
|
Technical Report established
|
January
|
Warranty application system to all new Toyota vehicles introduced The warranty period for 3 months or 4,000 miles whichever comes first after vehicle is in service
|
|
1971
|
April
|
Regulation Report established
|
1978
|
January
|
Marketing Product Report (MPR) established
|
October
|
First annual repair manual for technicians in North America published
|
|
1979
|
September
|
3 years corrosion perforation warranty introduced in North America
|
1981
|
June
|
Overseas vehicle order system introduced
|
1983
|
October
|
Toyota Warranty Standard System (TOWASS) introduced to Europe
|
1984
|
January
|
Diagnosis manual for electronic components published
|
1989
|
October
|
Long Term warranty for corrosion was offered in Europe also offered in North America in September 1986
|
1995
|
|
Electronic editing system introduced
|
2003
|
|
Warranty system CROWN 21 (21st Century Revolutionary Overseas Warranty Network) developed and introduced
|
2005
|
|
Electronic repair manual officially introduced overseas
|