TMC Opens Toyota Sales Logistics College

Tokyo — TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (TMC) announces it opened today a facility for training Toyota-brand dealer personnel from around the world. By following the principles of the Toyota Production System, the curriculum at The Toyota Sales Logistics (TSL) College, in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, is designed to optimize dealers’ sales logistics, resulting in greater customer satisfaction.

The TSL College will offer uniform courses administered by veteran TMC instructors using such hands-on facilities as a “virtual dealer” and a cleaning line to prep used cars for sale. This is expected to help unify the level of dealer personnel expertise, and, thus, increase dealer productivity. Previously, TMC had dispatched trainers using various curricula to dealers.

Instruction at the TSL College is to begin on June 1, with the start of the “TSL Instructor Training Course”. The course is to train dealer personnel to become kaizen instructors, who are to teach what they learn after returning to their companies. Trainees, depending on their specialty, can choose one four-week concentration from among: 1) improving service logistics, 2) encouraging repeat customers, 3) improving used-car logistics and 4) improving body and paint logistics.

Plans call for approximately 50 people from 30 Toyota-brand sales companies to undergo training at the TSL College this fiscal year (ending March 31, 2010).

Outline of TSL College
Location :Within TMC’s Fujioka Technology Training Center, 100-1 Ushiroda,Nishi-nakayama-cho, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

Size: 906m2

Facilities : Two classrooms, “virtual dealer” (with service desk, staffroom and body and paint area), two service bays and used-car prep line.

Number of instructors: 14