BookTitleToyota Tsusho 70-Year History

Summary

Toyota Tsusho 70-Year History

the conventional storage-type warehouse, developed an inventory managementsystem based on timely logistics information, and realized value-added logisticswhereby Toyota Tsusho outsourced and managed logistics operations as the primecontractor. For overseas logistics, a distributed logistics system was implementedat the Anjo Logistics Center of Toyotsu Logistics Service Co., Ltd., to realizenetwork logistics for shipping.With its engineering functions, Toyotsu Engineering was responsible foroverseas production preparation support and export of consumables and regularitems necessary for production to support Toyota Group companies that wereaccelerating local production overseas. These engineering services supported theoverseas expansion of TMC and Toyota Group companies.Chairman Ezaki meets in China with ExecutiveCommittee Members of the PRC’s CentralBureauofPolitics2 Providing Support for the Overseas Expansion Activities of theToyota GroupIn the 1990s, as TMC and Toyota Group companies expanded overseas due tofurther globalization, optimal global procurement came closer to being realized.Based on this, Toyota Tsusho worked to strengthen the functions of its ToyotaGroup Overseas Automotive Project Team (OAPT), established in 1987. InOctober 1990, the OAPT teamed up with Toyota Tsusho’s Vehicle Department tosupport the construction of a factory at Indus Motor Co., Ltd., in Pakistan. Thefactory became the first overseas assembly joint venture for TMC.In 1991, the OAPT was reorganized into an overseas project section, and ToyotaTsusho established regional teams in Asia, China, and Europe, and the Americas.Each team cooperated with other related business departments and supported notonly the Toyota Group’s expansion but also the overseas expansion of relatedbusiness partners. In 1997, an Indian project team was organized based on theoverseas project section, followed by a French project team in 1998. These teamssupported overseas business development in their respective regions.The 1990s saw Toyota Tsusho responding to the speed of globalization byincreasing global collaboration and cooperation with satellite companies.Section 2 Global Business Expansion1 Business Development in ChinaBeginning with the opening of a liaison office in Beijing in September 1979,Toyota Tsusho subsequently opened overseas project offices in such majorChinese cities such as Shanghai and Guangzhou. In April 1989, in preparationfor the future of motorization in China, the company invested in Shanghai KoitoAutomotive Lamp Co., Ltd. This was its first joint venture in China (sold in March2018), and that company was responsible for Toyota vehicle exports and jointventurebusinesses.In April 1995, Toyota Tsusho established Tianjin Toyota Steel Sheet ProcessingCo., Ltd., as a joint-venture steel center in Tianjin to process steel sheets fordelivery to the Tianjin Automotive Group. In the same month, Jiangmen HuatongToyota Motor Sales & Service Co., Ltd., which was jointly established by ToyotaTsusho and Jiangmen Autoparts Import Co., Ltd., established an automobileshowroom, repair shop, and auto parts logistics warehouse and introduced a newShanghai Office building in 1982 (FairmontPeace Hotel North Building)History109