Posted on Mar. 21, 2009
Bangalore, March 21 2009: Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) announced the launch of its global service initiative, the Express Maintenance Service (EMS) , at Nandi Toyota, Bangalore. The service provides a one-hour periodic maintenance service for all Toyota models, including the newly- launched Corolla Altis and is available to customers at the same price as the normal service.
It reduces the servicing time of a vehicle from the existing 17 hours to 1 hour by eliminating the stagnation time between processes. Kaizen(continuous improvement) will also enable the dealers to reduce the lead-time and vehicle delivery time.
EMS is a part of the TSM (Toyota Customer Service Marketing) Advanced program that was introduced globally in 2001. The TSM Advanced program addresses the fact that more than 50 % of the servicing time is spent in stagnation of the vehicle in between processes.
TSM Advanced Program removes this Muda (Waste) from the system by redesigning the layout of the maintenance bays, to ensure that no time is lost searching for equipments etc. It strengthens the foundations of dealer after-sales operations, achieving excellent levels of customer care.
For Dealers, the implementation of TSM Advanced Program will bring a significant increase in workshop productivity. This service requires 3 people at the maintenance bay and requires specific tools and equipments that are procured locally. Customers could avail this service by prior appointment.
A first of its kind initiative in India, EMS, stems from Toyota Production System and Kaizen methodologies. It aims at increasing customer satisfaction and retention. It also strengthens dealer foundations by ensuring thorough after-sales basic operations that consolidates the existing Parts and Service programs. It will bring Indian Toyota dealers at par with global standards in Customer Service.
Inaugurating EMS at Nandi Toyota, Mr. Hiroshi Nakagawa, Managing Director, TKM, said, "With a strong focus on customer convenience and satisfaction, Toyota prides itself in delighting customers through several initiatives. The path breaking 'Express Maintenance Service' which we pioneered in 2005 was very well received by our customers. Given that effective time management is the order of the day, our idea of providing service for your Toyota vehicle in as short a time-span as one hour, is to cater to the needs of our 'busy' customers."
"I was the first customer to use your express maintenance service; I was a little skeptical as to how an operation which took almost two days could be done in one hour; I must admit to being very pleasantly surprised at the military precision and efficiency with which the service was handled," said Mr. P Ramachandran, Managing Director, GR Tech Services Pvt. Ltd.
Currently Toyota has 82 state-of-the-art outlets across the country with a total service staff of 3315 personnel. Every month over 80,000 vehicles are serviced and more than 2400 personnel are trained by TKM annually.
After the success of the pilot project at Lakozy Toyota, Mumbai, in 2005 the EM Service was implemented at 14 locations. In 2009 TKM plans to spread this project to 50 more locations.
| Company name | Toyota Kirloskar Motor Private Limited |
| Location | Suburb of Bangalore, Karnataka State |
| Established | October 1997 (start of production: December 1999) |
| Managing Director | Mr. Hiroshi Nakagawa |
| Equity participation | TMC: 89%, Kirloskar Group: 11% |
| Land area | Aprox. 432 acres (approx.1.744,848 m2) |
| Annual production capacity | Approx. 80,000 units |
| Products | Corolla Altis, Innova, Fortuner manufactured in India. Camry, Prado and Land Cruiser imported as CBUs. |
| 2008 production results | 54,327 units |
| Number of employees | Approx. 3290 (as of March 2009) |
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