Assignment: Planning Production for Toyota North America
Lexus RX 350, Successor in 2007 to the RX 330
Address the following exercise:

Assessment of Toyota’s Current Regional Production Strategy
North America
Source:www.worldatlas.com/<wbr><wbr>webimage/countrys/na.htm,
a. After doing necessary research online or otherwise, document and evaluate the current
distribution of Toyota production in North America. Here be sure to include Mexico.
b. Why does the team believe Toyota has chosen to produce its cars in the current manner?
Has Toyota been wise, or not?
Readings (Required):

Johnson, W.H.A. (n.d.). Toyota Motor Manufacturing Company Canada (TMMC): The
Lexus RX 330 Line. Waltham, MA: Department of Management, Bentley
College. http://polaris.umuc.edu/~jstewart/Amba620/TMMCCase_Final.pdf

See full list of topic links in file REQUIRED READING ON THE TOYOTA
PRODUCTION SYSTEM
Multimedia (Required)

Knode, C.S. (2011) Decision tree video (setting up the problem):
http://vimeo.com/duffer44/decision-trees-part-1. Download Transcript

Knode, C.S. (2011) Decision tree video 2 (determining the value of perfect information
valuation): http://vimeo.com/duffer44/decision-trees-part-2 . Download Transcript

Knode, C.S. (2011) Decision tree video 3 (determining the value of imperfect
information valuation): http://vimeo.com/duffer44/decision-trees-part-3 Download
Transcript
This assignment that applies several operations decision-making techniques in an
international context, focusing on the Toyota Motor Company's North American Lexus
production decision made a few years ago.
Toyota operations in Mexico are involved in this team assignment. Mexico is a very important
trading partner of the US and a member nation of the North American Free Trade Agreement,
which provides for duty (tariff)-free commerce among Canada, Mexico, and the USA

TPS Terms

TPS Goals, Origins, Principles, Sharing, Workplace Management, Commonly Used
Terminology

TPS Vision, Philosophy, Concepts of Jidoka and Just-in-Time

Toyota Unveils Revamped Manufacturing Process

Toyota New Global Architecture to Debut This Year, Likely on the Prius

Toyota Invests in Competitive Plants - Sustainable Growth Strategy, New Plant in
Mexico, Expansion in China (15 April 2015)