East Asia Institute, One UTSA Circle, MB 1.209, UTSA, San Antonio, Texas 78249 Contact: eai@utsa.edu; 210.458.8550 UTSA’s East Asia Institute Presents The Essence of Toyota Production System UTSA will welcome Mr. Kyogo (Kurt) Onoue, Corporate Advisor of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas (TMMTX) to give a lecture entitled “The Essence of Toyota Production System” on Thursday, October 30, 2014 from noon to 1pm. Free and open to the public, this lecture will take place in Business Building 1.01.15. Mr. Onoue’s lecture is sponsored by UTSA’s East Asia Institute, Center for Professional Excellence, Center for Student Professional Development, and the Office of International Business Programs. Mr. Onoue received his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Waseda University in Tokyo, Top: Mr. Kyogo (Kurt) Onoue Japan. In addition, he currently serves as the president for Bottom: Tundra truck San Antonio Japanese Company Association. Prior to his role in TMMTX, Mr. Onoue served as vice president of manufacturing at New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. (NUMMI), a joint venture between General Motors and Toyota located in Fremont, California. Mr. Onoue joined Toyota in 1985 as an engineer in Toyota City, Japan. While at Toyota, he spent most of his career at Operation Management Consulting Division (OMCD), which is the Toyota Production System (TPS) Office. Mr. Onoue is considered a TPS Subject Matter Expert in North America, due to his extensive knowledge in Toyota Production System. At this lecture, Mr. Onoue will introduce how Toyota has implemented TPS as the core concept for their car manufacturing industry and why “Just-­‐in-­‐time”, “Jidoka (Autonomation with a human touch)”, and standardization are pillars of work ethic and longevity. Lean manufacturing (LEAN) is another adapted philosophy in which Toyota optimizes time, human resources, productivity and assets in pursuit of the ultimate efficiency. In addition, Mr. Onoue will discuss “kaizen” applied to every sphere of the company's activities. Furthermore, Toyota members seek to continually improve their standard processes and procedures in order to ensure maximum quality, improve efficiency, and eliminate waste. According to Harvard Business Review, GM, Ford, and Chrysler have independently created major initiatives to develop Toyota-­‐like production systems. Companies that have tried to adopt the system can be found in fields as diverse as aerospace, consumer products, metals processing, and industrial products. As of 2014, Toyota is the world’s largest car manufacturer, with most reliable and the highest selling hybrid vehicles in the U.S. In 2013, Toyota Prius liftback has been available in over 80 countries, and was the world’s best selling hybrid vehicle. According to U.S. News and World Report, the 2014 Toyota Camry is #1 in top-­‐selling hybrid vehicles and #2 in affordable mid-­‐size automobiles. Seating is limited, so arriving at the venue early is highly encouraged. For more information on this event, please contact the East Asia Institute at 210-­‐458-­‐8550, email: eai@utsa.edu, or see the EAI’s homepage at http://www.utsa.edu/eai. .............................................................................................................................................. The UTSA East Asia Institute’s mission is to promote appreciation and understanding of East Asian societies and cultures both on campus and in the community through research, outreach, networking, education, student/faculty exchange, and business development and cooperation. The East Asia Institute organizes seminars, workshops, lectures, conferences, film festivals, visual art exhibitions as well as bringing in performing art groups from China, Japan, Korea, and other Asian nations. It also encourages faculty research collaborations both within UTSA and with participating East Asian university researchers.