Toyota to be 'more involved' in certification operations following MLIT issue

MANILA: The management of Toyota Motor Corporation will become more involved in certification operations as a result of the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s (MLIT) directive to revoke model certificates produced by the brand. 

Per the carmaker, it “recognized that management was not sufficiently involved in the certification operations, and that there were many areas for improvement in the foundation of its certification operations, such as the data management system and the establishment of clearer rules and procedures.”

On that note, Toyota — in accordance with MLIT’s recommendations — will see that its management regularly inspects certification sites and provides opportunities for candid dialog with on-site staff.

In addition, the Aichi-headquartered carmaker noted that moving forward, the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) will be the person responsible for overall decision-making regarding development and the Global Chief Quality Officer (G-CQO) will be responsible for overall decision-making regarding certification.

To improve the management’s understanding of certification rules and awareness of legal compliance, it — alongside the executive staff — will undergo training on the certification process and outline of regulations. 

Further, the management will continue to provide employees with training to foster and strengthen compliance awareness in certification work. 

Toyota will also enhance internal audits of development and certification operations. A Legal Supervisor — appointed by the G-CQO — will conduct a second-line audit of implementation sites to enhance the effectiveness of checks of development and certification operations. 

The Legal Supervisor will also evaluate the effectiveness of the certification system and report the results of this evaluation to the G-CQO and the Chief Risk Officer (CRO). 

Moreover, the CRO, CTO, and G-CQO will monitor the status of development and certification sites, through on-site inspections as well as the reports from the Vehicle Company Presidents, the person responsible for Certification, and the Legal supervisor, and report the outcomes to the Board of Directors. 

“Toyota will make company-wide efforts to prevent recurrence based on the points provided by the MLIT at the time of the corrective order,” the company wrote in a press release. 

Zigwheels Philippines reported previously that the MLIT rescinded the certification of the Toyota Town Ace truck (a relative of the Philippine-market Lite Ace) as well as the Daihatsu Gran Max and Mazda Bongo. 

Toyota’s subsidiary, which manufactures the abovementioned vehicles, has been found guilty of using “improper methods” to pass safety testing requirements.

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