Contributing to society in meaningful ways
Toyota’s core value has always been to contribute to society in meaningful ways, looking for easier ways to do things, which stems from the company founder’s initial motivation to create an automatic loom to relieve the work burden of his own mother. These values are cultivated in the company to this day and members of Toyota, including retailers, have responded to support their communities in a current public health crisis that is especially serious in Europe.
The support extended to local hospitals and other emergency services range from providing essential supplies such as masks from existing stock at the start of the crisis; making donations to allow the purchase of essential ventilators; making available hundreds of vehicles to organisations such as the Red Cross and other non-profit and public organisations; and using 3D parts printing to make face masks and hands-free door openers.
Another way Toyota manufacturing team members have been helping is to support with Toyota Production System (TPS) know-how and technical knowledge, allowing some hospitals to better manage their manpower allocation to deal with the extra workload and to assemble medical equipment or fix hospital beds.
Requests from the community typically reach Toyota entities based on their local roots and are evaluated locally. Ideas are also shared amongst entities in Europe.