Red Sofa Interview: Why Toyota Motor Europe isn’t looking for flexibility

At Automotive Logistics & Supply Chain Europe in Bonn, Germany, Deville said that Toyota Motor Europe has been surviving and learning from crises, and is now moving into a new phase, from survival to performance. 

As part of this, he said that flexibility in logistics partners is no longer the top priority. ”I don’t think we’re after flexibility. Flexibility means last minute change, shifting from one model to another one. I think actually that’s not what we’re after, it’s the other way around. We would like to get better at is stronger planning and stronger forecasting,” he said. 

Read more highlights from JC Deville’s keynote in the ALSC Europe Recap Blog

Deville added: ”We as a carmaker ought to get a stronger understanding of the market signals, and how do we translate that early enough for our logistic partners to get ready so we are efficient. The flexibility is part of the requirement, but truly as a team between the logistics partners and ourselves we need to do the opposite, and focus on stability and early findings of trends and movement. We’re not after partners who overnight can shift from one place to another, we know it’s inefficient. What we’re after is how can we get better forecasting and how do our partners use this to prepare themselves and invest in their means and their people and be everyday on our motto which is ‘on time, in time, every time’.”

He added that long-term partnerships are becoming more important too, as Toyota looks to work with trusted logistics partners “not only for next year, but for 2030, or 2035,” he said.