Toyota Motor Sales USA
Torrance, California
Problem: How to develop a more efficient and securable system for storing and
retrieving Special Service Tools (SST)
Solution: Design a standardized system for all Toyota and Lexus dealerships
Benefits: Significant cost savings from not having to replace lost tools; tools are
centralized, easily located, inventoried, and secure; increased shop productivity; and
faster repair time resulting in higher owner satisfaction
Products Used: Cabinets
Within a dealership certain car manufacturers require Special Service Tools (SST), or
tools that are recommended for a specific repair of a specific car manufacturer.
Sometimes this is the only tool you can use for a repair, sometimes it just makes the
repair easier.
Automotive dealerships also have tool rooms for all the SST’s that are recommended by
the factory for the use of the dealership mechanics. As long as the tool is there and
available to use, dealerships, mechanics, and customers are happy. A disorganized SST
storage system in the service department contributes to just the opposite. That was a
reality Toyota Motor Sales USA saw plaguing its dealers, so it decided to assist with a
solution.
Toyota Motor Sales USA requires all of its 1,400 Toyota and Lexus dealerships to own
SST. Dealers are supposed to store these tools in a central location, so that service
technicians can quickly find them when needed. The reality was that, in many
dealerships, technicians spent way too much time hunting for SST.
In fact, the average technician spent a minimum of six minutes per day on the hunt, and
it wasn’t unheard of to squander an hour searching for a particular item. With the
average dealership employing 14 technicians, costs added up over the course of the
year. To make matters worse, the average dealer was spending $1,500 per year
replacing tools that had been lost or stolen.
The cause of the problem was that the old tool board and racking system held only 40%
of the dealerships’ total SST. Some kept the additional tools in boxes, others on open
shelving. Most didn’t lock the tools when not in use, and most had no effective way to
keep track of which technician had what tool at any moment.
When Toyota decided to tackle the problem, the company performed a pilot survey study
and identified SST as a redundant dealership cost, a hindrance to maximum shop
productivity, and a potential customer satisfaction issue. “Technicians were spending too
much time locating specific SST that they needed in order to ensure a quality repair,”
says Jim Sapunarich, Toyota’s Advanced Vehicles and Equipment Manager. He says
the company saw a need for a central, securable storage system that all dealers would
benefit from utilizing.
Vidmar storage sales engineers worked with Toyota corporate headquarters to design a
system appropriate for all dealerships. “We asked them to give us a complete set of
tools,” says Vidmar Storage Sales Engineer Joe Micek. “We then designed a storage
system based on those tools that would also have room for 25% growth.”
The three-cabinet system organizes tools by category: power train, diagnostic, chassis,
fuel and emissions, and so on. Each category includes large and small drawers to
accommodate different-sized tools. Labels on the drawer pulls identify the category of
tools stored within, and partitions inside the drawers create compartments sized for
particular tools. Line art and photos in each compartment make it easy to put tools back
in the right place, while an index on the outside of the cabinet makes quick work of
finding tools when needed. The service or parts manager controls access to the system
and keeps track of who is using what.
The custom cabinets were such a success in prototype that Toyota Motor Sales USA
ordered the cabinets for every Toyota and Lexus dealer in the U.S. The response has
been overwhelmingly positive. “The Vidmar system has made their technicians more
productive,” says Sapunarich. “They’re working on cars rather than searching for tools.
Our service managers tell us it’s one of the most helpful things we have ever done in
tools and equipment.”