Written By:  Christopher Loo

Global MBA students from National Taiwan University visited Kuozui, a Toyota manufacturing firm in Taoyuan, Taiwan on November 27, 2015.  The visit was part of the Global Leadership Management Forum, a GMBA class designed to offer students opportunities to interact with professional leaders in from the global arena.  This was the first time foreign students were allowed to visit a Toyota plant in Taiwan. 

Lead by Professors Miriam Garvi and Jun Yun Han, and accompanied by Associate Dean and Director of GMBA, Dr. Chan-Jane Lin, and Associate Director, Steven Hsu, the GMBA students got a first-hand look at Toyota’s famed Toyota Production System (TPS). 

From pressing and stamping, to assembly and inspection, it takes the factory only two days to produce a Corolla Atlis, Toyota’s best selling vehicle.  Moreover, the factory’s Just-In-Time strategy and extremely efficient use of space and resources allow it to produce up to 200,000 per year, of which approximately 70% are shipped to the Middle-East.

Throughout the afternoon, GMBA students learned about Toyota’s global management and production strategy, and had an hour long Q&A session with the factories top management.  GMBA students and faculty were honored to have this opportunity, and are thankful for Toyota’s generous commitment to educating tomorrow’s leaders.