[ChiragM]

You have read about visits to various manufacturing centres including Ford's plant in Chennai, Jaguar's Castle Bromwich (UK) facility, Apollo tyres, SF Sonic batteries or even about the logistics behind a car factory.

To mark 20 years of production at the TKM facility in Bidadi, Karnataka, Toyota showcased what goes on behind the scenes to their customer-first approach. They also showcased their measures to help the local community and the environment. Toyota took us around a few parts of their facility, which is located in the outskirts of Bengaluru, and also around a Toyota showroom in Bengaluru.

Before we start, here are some high points about Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd.:

• Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd. was incorporated on October 1997.

• The first car to be made in India was the Qualis. Production began in 1999, while the car was launched in 2000.

• Toyota's share in the joint venture is 89%, while that of Kirloskar’s is 11%.

• They have an approximate of 6,400 employees on the payroll.

• The facility is spread across 432 acres and has two manufacturing plants.

• The annual production capacity for plant 1 is 1,00,000 while that of plant 2 is 2,10,000 in two shifts.

A look at Toyota's facility in Bidadi. Plant 1 builds the Fortuner and the Innova while plant 2 builds the Etios, Liva, Corolla and the Camry. The Land Cruiser, Prado and Prius are sold as CBUs. Notice the test track next to the NMEC and NPC:


Toyota's major milestones since they entered India:


The carmaker's sales in India over the past 5 years:

[ChiragM]

The highlight of Toyota's customer service is their Express Maintenance, which assures the customer of delivery within a certain time limit, usually just 60 minutes for regular + small services. To drive home a point, Toyota organised a small workshop for us to experience the difference between a regular service and Express Maintenance.

First up, Toyota demonstrated how a regular service centre functions. These cars were given to us along with a time for a mock service experience:


A few pre-determined processes like changing of certain parts were carried out on these cars:


The cars included scheduled as well as walk-in entries. The service centre opened at 9:00:


I was given a 9:20 slot:


The cars and the job card are sent to 'Job Control' who allocates it to the service personnel depending on their availability:


Cars waiting for service:


Cars are then sent to the service bays depending on the availability of the service personnel:


A separate parts section:


Cars under service:


Service personnel collecting parts in-between a service:


Cars waiting for delivery:


While my promised delivery time was 9:20, the actual delivery took place at 10:05. While I got my car the same day, some other cars could not be delivered and the service got pushed to the following day. The finish of the cars was not good and some parts were not tightened properly:


For part 2 of the exercise, Toyota showcased its Express Maintenance. The cars included scheduled services as well as walk-in customers:


Mock service centre for part 2:


Just like the first part, another clock to monitor the time:


Customer lounge for all the customers to relax while their cars are getting serviced:


Here is the service management board, which gives the status of each car in the service centre:


The allocation of cars is predetermined for customers with prior appointments and the service centre knows the exact time taken for each job:


Parts section is right next to the service area and is easily accessible to the technicians:


All the cars serviced in this exercise were delivered on time and there were no jobs carried over to the next day. The quality of work done this time around was also much better:

[ChiragM]

The following morning, we were taken to the Toyota plant in Bidadi. The first place we visited was the Toyota Technical Training Institute (TTTI):


The TTTI course takes in 64 underprivileged rural children. The company claims that they receive around 6,000 applications. All candidates must go through various tests including a written test, skill test, personal interview and a physical test. It is a 3-year course offered for free and the students learn skills that will be used in the industry. An overview of TTTI:


The students are trained in automobile welding, assembly and painting as well as in plant maintenance. The program began in 2007 and the students get a stipend along with free education:


TTTI takes in students from Karnataka and they stay in dormitories on campus. The course is strictly for those whose parents cannot afford higher education. The students, who come from Kannada-medium schools, are also taught perfect English:


Morning exercise is a part of their daily routine. The students take turns to come up and lead the others during the exercise. It is aimed at improving leadership skills and teamwork:


After their regular morning exercises, a few students have to explain one technical term for the day. Toyota claims that this helps in public speaking and gives them more confidence, while at the same time imparts the technical topics they have gained in class. They also have a thought for the day that they have to recite every day. This helps motivate the students and helps in personality development:


Students are taught to draw and write from scratch. Even handwriting is emphasised and is adhered to. All the books shown to us were near identical:


They are trained on everything ranging from screws, nuts and bolts (tightening a certain number within the given time limit)...


...to engines:


Classrooms are located at one end of the training room:


These Corollas are present for training purposes. They have been ripped apart and put back together several times and Toyota claims that they still work:


An Innova has also joined the fleet. Further, students will also be taught new technologies like hybrid powertrains and more as and when they are implemented:


Students undergoing technical training...


...and training in painting. Most of these students are absorbed by Toyota, either in the plant or in the service centres:


The Bidadi facility has an Eco Zone dedicated to the environment. The carmaker says that 1/3rd of every Toyota manufacturing plant has to be green. It is expected to have 11 theme parks and once completed, Toyota claims that the temperature in the facility will be significantly lower than outside the plant and that there would be 2,50,000 trees inside the factory:


Toyota's vision includes zero carbon dioxide emissions:


The plant contains orchards and plantations...


...rainwater harvesting...


...and vegetable gardens. The vegetables grown here are used in dormitories that house the TTTI students. It is said that the variety of birds visiting the Eco Zone has increased since its inception:


Even the dealerships use less water for washing cars and the paint they use is solvent based. A claimed 72 million litres of water has been saved in 2018:


In 2017, to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, Toyota started recycling the cars used for testing. The cars are dismantled using a standardized process. They claim to have recycled 95.8% of an Innova:


The parts that are removed include steel, fluids including oil, plastics, rubber and e-wastes. The carmaker is recycling only cars inside the plant on a trial basis. Cars lying in dealerships are expected to be recycled next:


Some of the parts have been donated to engineering colleges in Bengaluru and are being used to train the students in these colleges:

[ChiragM]

As of May 2019, Toyota claims to have 359 dealer facilities across the country. The centres in rural areas are comparatively smaller making it financially viable. The Express Service is available in residential areas of major cities:


An interesting story on the founder of Toyota Motor Corporation, Kiichiro Toyoda. Toyota's first mass-produced vehicle was the G1 truck, and when one of those trucks broke down, Kiichiro himself went to repair the truck along with some engineers:


Customers are given many choices during the purchase of a car and services like Express Maintenance (EM) helps the customer in saving time:


Toyota claims that there are more than 500 variants when you consider various trim levels, powertrain options and even colours over 10 products (prior to the Glanza launch). Financial services, extended warranty and insurance are also offered:


Customers of 80% of the cars sold in the past 8 years visited a Toyota dealer at least once in 2018 for service. Most cars under warranty come back to the dealer for services but this figure includes out of warranty cars as well, which tend to go to local garages. It is claimed that this increases the resale value of the car:


Toyota offers the EDGE service to customers. Under this service, customers buying a new car can choose various options like finance, insurance, warranty, etc. based on their requirements and vehicle usage. The company claims that this gives more flexibility to the customer:


All these services are put on boards on showroom walls:


All features of the vehicle are shown on these display boards:


Every showroom has a customer kiosk. Here, the customer can go through all the features and specifications of the vehicle and also compare it with that of the competition:


Customers can choose 'Home Installation' to learn about some features and for some adjustments. This is done at their convenience:


The overall cost of maintenance of the vehicles has been listed. The costs are in Rs/km and include cost of parts, labour and lubricants for upto 1 lakh km. The company claims that these are the lowest maintenance costs of vehicles in their respective segments:


The cost of maintenance is claimed to be determined by these intangible benefits. The graph below "High Quality Parts" highlights the mileage at which these parts have to be replaced. The company claims that the number of replacements in a cycle is lower than that of its competitors:


They claim that the SMILES package, which is a pre-paid maintenance package, helps reduce the overall cost of maintenance. The cost shown here is for the Yaris:


It is said that the customers tend to go to local garages for injector failures / faulty injectors. To answer this, Toyota introduced 'Injector Repair Return'. They say that most of the faulty injectors can be fixed by cleaning, which costs 5% the price of a brand new part:


The number of brands available for customers to choose from has been increasing for the past few years:


The 'Service Express' trucks are used for services in remote areas:


Periodic maintenance including Express Maintenance can be carried out with these trucks in remote areas. The maintenance services can be major or minor:


This is almost like a regular service station. Vehicle diagnosis can be conducted and parts can be ordered online. The service even offers car wash:


Some repair jobs including wheel alignment and balancing can be carried out:


Inside the 'Service Express' truck. This service is being conducted on a trial basis in 4 states - Karnataka, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh:


To maintain the quality of the vehicle, Toyota has maintenance reminders to remind the customers to give the car for service. They also have 'T Shield', to inform customers about the dos and don’ts. For example, this video talks about driving on water-clogged roads:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYLLr3DguFo

Spare parts are stored in this warehouse and are shipped to dealers all over the country. All the lighter and brittle parts are stored on top whereas all the heavier parts are stored below:


Parts that are needed regularly, like body parts, are stored nearer to the delivery trucks. Trucks are sent to dealers in major towns and cities every day:


All trucks are inspected to ensure that they meet the required quality standards before parts / cars are loaded:


Trucks are tracked and they are driven only during the day adhering to the speed limits:


Toyota claims that the number of major accidents involving their trucks has reduced and that they have met their target for on-time deliveries:


Everyone who handles the parts and the cars are trained beforehand:

[ChiragM]

I have mentioned Express Maintenance a few times in this thread. Also spoke about the small activity to demonstrate Express Maintenance. So what exactly is Express Maintenance? With this service, Toyota aims to carry out the regular service and a few other things the customer asks for, wash your car and return it to you in 60 minutes. They claim that a survey showed that customers prefer waiting in the showroom while the car is being serviced:


Sometimes, services could take a full day, and in a few cases, it could take even longer:


This might leave the customers unhappy and Toyota also claims low productivity from the technicians:


Maintenance reminders also tell customers that the service would be done in 60 minutes. While the vehicle is being washed (underbody, wheel well wash), the repair order is created. The car is then sent to the service bay while the customers chill in the lounge. While the invoicing is taking place, the car is washed again in 15 minutes and is then delivered:


For customers who come in with a prior appointment, the service advisors are assigned and the tools and parts required for the job are kept ready:


The cars are covered while waiting for delivery. In the morning, this bay is used to park cars waiting for service:


A relaxation lounge has been provided for drivers of the cars. The lounge has bunk beds for the drivers to get some rest:


Round tables instead of booths are used for interaction with the customers:


The cost of parts are provided to the customer along with a timeline on when they should be replaced:


The customer waiting lounge has a TV, WiFi and a children’s play area. They can also view their cars being serviced:


One technician works on the left side of the car while one works on the right side of the car. There's also one quality inspector present. All the required tools are provided in blue trolleys:


The parts store is right next to the Express maintenance bays. Just like in the main warehouse, the lighter and brittle parts are stored on top while the heavier parts are stored below:


The service management board tells the status of the car and the service bays. Walk-in customers will be told when they'll get their cars back depending on the availability of the service bays:


Some tasks cannot be completed in 60 minutes. To deal with these tasks, Toyota has introduced EM90 and EM120. Customers can choose what work has to be carried out on the car and they would get their car back in 90 or 120 minutes:


Locations where Express Maintenance is offered across the country:


Disclaimer: Toyota invited Team-BHP & covered all the travel expenses for this event.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[d3mon]

Wow, extremely impressive. The story of Kiichiro Toyoda going to repair the truck himself shows how seriously Toyota takes any failure, and it is precisely this attitude that has made their cars so legendary today.

While I've never had a chance to experience Toyota service, this thread was surely an eye opener on how much thought goes into creating processes to improve the customers' ownership experience. Quality is never an accident, and this thread just going on to show how much sustained effort and holistic thinking it takes to command the reputation that Toyota does today.

[RGK]

I admire Toyota for its quality and service. Had a chance to go with my friend to the service centre at Coimbatore. At the time of delivery, the advisor just said this, "Come for the next service on time, till then you need not even bend-down to check your vehicle".

[coolboy007]

Although i have never owned a Toyota, i really admire the quality of their vehicles and the impressive service. My friend owns a tyre shop in Delhi and their 9 year old Innova which had done over 1.5L kms carrying tyres filled to the brim daily never ever had any part failure or unscheduled replacement. I drove that car at 1.4L kms and she was driving just like new, no squeaks, rattles and every thing worked as it should, was surprised by the quality of components Toyota uses.

Accompanied him for service once to Galaxy Toyota and i was all praises for their service quality, no hard selling by advisors, mechanics work in a proper manner, everything was so organised and car delivered before time.

[Sankar]

No one is perfect, not even Toyota. But they are close to being perfect when it comes to "consistently" delivering a good and above average after sales experience.

Its good on Toyotas part to give the children education, food and means to a proper livelihood.

[rrsteer]

A co-incidence that this thread should come up on the day when I got the 190k km service of our Innova done - as usual it went smoothly.

The one word I would use to describe Toyota service is: CONSISTENT.
The pictures put on the thread speak of that. It felt like I have seen all of them in real life, because their dealership ~2000 km up north has almost exactly the same sort of furniture, arrangement and feel.

The other thing I have noted is that the dealership I frequent hasn't witnessed much attrition. For e.g. I am practically interacting with the same voice on the phone to book an appointment for the last 7 years ( and she calls in the same Punjabi-hindi tone "Sir main ...... baat kar rahin hoon Castle Toyota se..."). Similarly, greeted by the same lady at the welcome desk, the chief technician has been with them since inception and even the pool of service advisors is largely same. Infact, till last year in the appointment booking call I would name the advisor I wanted to attend my car, and largely he would be the one dealing with me since I usually take the 9.30 am appointment. This tells me that the dealership is a good place to work, which means the dealer is doing well, which ultimately means Toyota builds good cars. I don't know how long they will sustain it, but my best wishes to them.

Speaking of consistency, the other thing I have noted is that Toyota dealership is one of the few places, where at-least I have not heard the excuse, "Sir, the systems are down!". This may have improved, but the time when I had the Safari (2006 - 2012), the most dreaded part of getting it serviced was the moment, right before billing, when the advisor would say "Sir siebel is down!"

Having said all of the above, I have never opted for EM60 for either of my cars and never will. I just don't have that level of trust, even in Toyota. I have always taken appointments on Saturdays or Fridays, and it is always very busy. Just can't imagine them turning around the service in 60 mins, without missing something or messing something.

[CarBot]

I have owned a Fiat Palio, visiting service center used to be nightmares. I once had to wait for a 14 rupees part for 3 weeks . They had to get a rubber gasket connecting fuel tank and fuel pipe. Never ever Fiat service with Tata tie up was a happy moment.

Then it was Ford, not as bad as Fiat but could still improve.

Now I have 2 Renaults. My service adviser is a good man but delivery after service always takes a minimum of 1 hour. After a year and 15k run duster is showing the quality issues. Never had the quality issue with Ford. Even after 50k and 7 years panel gaps stayed consistent.

Reading above thread, somehow feels that service with Toyota will be a pleasant, consistent and on time. Also, we know that the resale value is highest among all other cars and it is due to above shown quality, neatness, training and of-course Japaneses DNA in Toyota cars.

Thanks for sharing insider views .

[VVN]

This is truly amazing. Thanks for the insight ChiragM. Credit to Toyota for going beyond just being a car manufacturer.

I have never owned a Toyota but am certain that my next car will be a Toyota (Not based on this thread) and I am looking forward to the hassle free experience.

[R2D2]

A very interesting thread, thanks Chirag. I've personally experienced how TKM treats their customers having dealt with Toyota and its dealerships for over 13 years. And believe me there's been never a reason (except a DIY) for me to even THINK of giving my car to a FNG. These service centres are manned by professionals and unlike ASCs from other car manufacturers they don't attempt to rip you off. Best part? Labour charges are reasonable as are consumable spares.

I nearly always drive my car back from its annual service with a smile on my face. Believe me, I'd buy a Toyota vehicle yet again with my eyes closed only for their after sales and hassle free ownership experience. Peace of mind is high on my priority list.

[V.Narayan]

As far as after sales service, promptness and courtesy goes Toyota is the best in India. Having been a customer of the Toyota-Lexus family for well over a decade I say that had on heart. The other OEMs whose products I have owned are Honda, GM, Skoda, Daewoo, Volvo, Premier and Maruti. Maruti was probably closest to Toyota at least in my experience.

Toyota understand that buying a car and the car itself is but the tip of the iceberg. The ownership and life maintenance experience over 7 to 10 years is the rest of that iceberg. Several years ago I was given a walk around of a Toyota workshop and I noticed that their manner of identifying defects, tagging them and then tracking them to full repair completion and then QC was exactly what we did with airliners and Toyota did it with the same thoroughness.

Now if only we can get Toyota to start designing the frontispiece of their cars to look attractive and handsome.