Standout Watchdog Inspector Moriaki Higa: Preserving the Elevated Standards of the Centuries as the Final Barricade
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At Toyota Motor Corporation's Tahara Plant, the production of the Century, the company's flagship luxury sedan, stands out for its unique and exceptionally meticulous inspection process. This process, which integrates high-touch, artisanal inspection methods with Toyota's advanced manufacturing quality strategies, ensures the vehicle meets the brand's top-level quality and luxury experience.
One of the two master inspectors responsible for the final quality checks of the Century vehicles is Moriaki Higa. With over 20 years of experience at Toyota, Higa has honed his skills through working with hundreds to thousands of vehicles. His inspection process involves 17 steps, including checking for gaps and unevenness, paint finishes, interior and exterior specifications, and engine bay.
Higa's most challenging skill to master is discerning the precision of body assembly. He finds faults that even the customers themselves would not notice. To uphold the Century's high quality, Higa adopts the customer's perspective. He checks the interior gaps, height differences, and left-right variations to ensure correct assembly and no unwanted noises.
The Century's manufacturing standards are stricter than those of other models, as shown in the previous entries in this series. Functional testing also includes emulating city driving conditions to check for any irregularities. The car wash before the final inspection uses purified water from the painting process.
During the test course driving inspection, the vehicle's wheel and headlamp alignment are checked, and the vehicle is tested on cobblestones and other uneven, noisy surfaces. If a problem with the paint finish is found, the vehicle is returned for a corrective process called the coating clinic.
The new Century takes advantage of its PHEV features to run in EV mode during functional testing, allowing for quieter checks. The final inspection includes the application of protective films to the body and wheels. Higa finds it challenging to adjust his approach to detect irregular sounds during driving inspections.
Higa's goal is to ensure the customer's experience is never dampened by a defect. He is the last line of defense upholding the Century's high quality. The inspection process for the Century is unique as it is assigned to a single inspector, allowing for a higher level of quality control. Every single Century vehicle undergoes a thorough paint finish inspection, unlike the sampling method used for other models.
Higa improves his visual and tactile inspection skills through experience with hundreds to thousands of vehicles. He is a self-professed car lover and long-time motor shows attendee. His dedication to his craft and the Century's reputation for unparalleled quality in Toyota's lineup reflect the special process he is part of.
This scrutiny serves to detect and correct even the smallest defects before delivery, embodying Toyota's philosophy of continuous improvement (Kaizen) and Total Quality Management (TQM), and integrating both advanced statistical quality methods and traditional artisan craftsmanship from supplier to final inspection stages. The Century’s production stands out for combining these high-touch, artisanal inspection processes with Toyota’s advanced manufacturing quality strategies, ensuring the vehicle meets the brand’s top-level quality and luxury experience.
- The automotive industry's integration of advanced manufacturing strategies in the finance sector, such as Toyota Motor Corporation's implementation at the Tahara Plant, ensures the production of high-quality gadgets like the Century.
- Moriaki Higa's unique inspection process for the Century, which involves checking for gaps and unevenness, paint finishes, and interior and exterior specifications, is reflective of the technology-driven quality control in the transportation industry.
- Toyota's stringent manufacturing standards, as seen in the production of the Century, have applicability beyond the automotive industry, affecting sectors such as technology, finance, and transportation.
