OSAKA, Japan (March 1, 2002) – Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. Ltd. has developed a module-based, fully automated, small lot tire manufacturing process that the company is installing at its Sendai, Japan, car and light truck tire plant. Production will be phased in throughout the first half of 2002, Toyo said.
The new process yield improved quality and productivity for small lot production, Toyo said, noting that nearly 60 percent of its output is considered small lot quantities. The new system requires “substantially” less floor space, and will result in lower inventories since short run quantities can be produced more often, Toyo said.
Toyo did not disclose the system's name, nor what it invested in the developing it.