Insights from Toyota: How Continuous Improvement Inspires Our Mission
Last week, a group of us toured the Toyota Texas production facility in south San Antonio. This facility produces Tundras and Sequoias—over 200,000 annually—using a just-in-time approach, meaning that every part or component used, and every vehicle assembled, has already been sold. Every 60 seconds, a new vehicle rolls off the assembly line. I was struck by the level of precision, excellence, and collaboration happening both inside the facility and far beyond it. Considering the complexity of a global supply chain involving thousands of products and hundreds of suppliers, the level of ownership demonstrated by every team member is remarkable. And at the heart of Toyota’s success is the Japanese philosophy called Kaizen.
The Kaizen philosophy embraces the practice of daily small and constant changes rather than major overhauls. In Japanese, Kaimeans change and Zen means good. It is inspiring to consider that improving by just one percent each day can aggregate to a 38% improvement over the course of a year. One-percent daily improvement is certainly within reach for any team.
Toyota’s founder, Sakichi Toyoda, often shared a guiding principle: “Before you say you can’t do something, try it.” I saw his spirit alive and well during our visit last week. And I cannot help but think about how the spirit of Kaizen might take root here at our incredible Catholic, mission-aligned HSI.