Toyota is set to revamp its current manufacturing process with a new AI-powered vehicle development system.
AI in vehicle manufacturing
Toyota’s new vehicle development system will launch this year according to Japan Forward. The new system will “share customer order data on new-vehicle specifications in real time across all divisions involved in car manufacturing, including parts suppliers.”
The system uses AI to predict best-selling vehicle specs and gradually eliminate specs with weaker demand.
The new system will allow Toyota the ability to reposition its resources towards higher demand products, boosting productivity and efficiency in real-time for both company and its suppliers. This platform will also be Toyota Motor Corporation’s “first companywide platform for shared vehicle-specification data.”
Toyota President Kenta Kon said that a boost in productivity “cannot wait,” as the company reforms its overall manufacturing process.
How does it work?
The system will link all of Toyota’s shared data from 800 core business systems, eliminating the step of translating between divisions. Once Toyota fully integrates its new system into its process, the company will be able to align production more closely with customer preferences and custom specifications.
Space-saver
Alongside its new system, Toyota launched its AREA 35 initiative, a program that “aims to reduce the number of parts and the amount of factory space used by 35 per cent.” The space saved by decreasing parts will be used for more vehicles to be built.
Under AREA 35, Toyota’s goal is to add to its current production capacity, aiming for 35 per cent supply capacity relative to its assets. This initiative has been implemented in 10 plants in Japan and 19 factories abroad, including the US, Thailand, and India.
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