7. Industrial traceability in the automotive industry

In 2001, near Valenciennes, Toyota set up its European production unit for its compact car, the Yaris, the European version of its Vitz.

To make a beautiful Yaris, you need some 3,000 components. Most of them come from Europe, from traditional automotive suppliers. Logistics platforms are deployed around the site: they contain the supplies that will be used for production. In keeping with the first principle of the Toyota Production System, or TPS, the shuttle trucks of the service providers responsible for supplying the site carry a little bit of everything... Packaging is based on the strategy of small batches of parts. Several orders are placed each day to ensure the best compromise between supply frequency (high) and logistics cost (lowest). Small convoys regularly deliver to the lines. Delivered parts are unloaded from the trucks, using different handling methods...