Toyota Advances with Confidence, Opens Factory Doors to Showcase World-Class Manufacturing Process
Toyota opened its Ban Pho plant to media for the third time, demonstrating its world-class manufacturing standards for Hilux and Land Cruiser vehicles destined for export to Japan and global markets.
Toyota held its third open house event to build customer confidence, showcasing its world-class manufacturing process at the Ban Pho plant under the 'Toyota Trusted Services Open House III' program. The initiative has reached its third edition, allowing media personnel to experience the operations of various departments and reinforce assurance that every Toyota vehicle is manufactured under strict standards for maximum quality before delivery to customers worldwide.
According to Somkhit Praditsgarnchai, Senior Managing Director of Toyota Motor Thailand Limited, Toyota Trusted Services represents a service experience designed to build customer confidence and peace of mind from the moment someone becomes a Toyota owner—from standard quality from the beginning, through delivery to customers, and throughout vehicle use.
The Ban Pho plant is a world-class manufacturing facility where Toyota actually produces vehicles, not merely assembles them. It is Toyota's only facility worldwide capable of manufacturing vehicles for export back to Japan. The plant produces Toyota Hilux legendary pickup trucks, which began exporting to Japan in 2017, and this year added the Toyota Land Cruiser FJ model—a quality guarantee reflecting high manufacturing standards. Previously, Toyota manufactured Land Cruiser exclusively in Japan.
The Ban Pho factory operates on 1,500 acres and began production in 2007, with a maximum capacity of 230,000 vehicles annually. It produces pickup trucks and multipurpose vehicles across six main production lines, utilizing advanced digital technology including the E-KANBAN system for inventory management and real-time transport systems to ensure continuous production, reduce costs, increase efficiency, and maximize resource value.
The facility implements the Toyota Production System (TPS), a globally recognized manufacturing system emphasizing high quality, reasonable costs, and short lead times. It operates on two pillars: Just in Time—producing vehicles exactly when and in the quantities customers need—and Jidoka, which guarantees quality through strict adherence to standards by both Toyota and component suppliers without exception. Toyota monitors every production step using the POKAYOKE system, an automated mechanism that detects anomalies and errors.
The manufacturing process includes: the stamping shop, which produces body components in various sizes using advanced technology at a capacity of 2,380 pieces per hour with excellent quality control; the welding shop, which joins body structures using robot systems controlled by computer for maximum accuracy and energy efficiency; the painting shop, where Toyota was Thailand's first manufacturer to use advanced water-based painting technology that is environmentally friendly by reducing volatile organic compounds harmful to respiratory systems; and the molding shop.
