UTSA East Asia Institute presents Oct. 30 lecture by Toyota adviser

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(Oct. 28, 2014) -- UTSA will present Kyogo (Kurt) Onoue, corporate adviser of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas (TMMTX), for "The Essence of the Toyota Production System" from noon to 1 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 30. Free and open to the public, the lecture will be held in Business Building Room 1.01.15 on the UTSA Main Campus.

Onoue will discuss how Toyota implemented the Toyota Production System (TPS) as the core concept for its car manufacturing industry and why "just-in-time" or "Jidoka" (autonomation with a human touch) and standardization are pillars of its work ethic and longevity. Onoue is considered the TPS expert in North America.

He will discuss lean manufacturing, through which Toyota optimizes time, human resources, productivity and assets in pursuit of ultimate efficiency. Additionally, Onoue will describe "kaizen," which is applied to every sphere of the company. Toyota employees seek to continually improve their standard processes and procedures to ensure maximum quality, improve efficiency and eliminate waste in manufacturing.

Onoue received his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. He serves as president of the San Antonio Japanese Company Association. Before TMMTX, Onoue was vice president of manufacturing at New United Motor Manufacturing Inc., a joint venture between General Motors and Toyota in Fremont, Calif. He joined Toyota in 1985 as an engineer in Toyota City, Japan.

According to Harvard Business Review, GM, Ford and Chrysler have independently created major initiatives to develop Toyota-like production systems. Companies that have tried to adopt the system can be found in fields as diverse as aerospace, consumer products, metals processing and industrial products.

As of 2014, Toyota is the world's largest car manufacturer with the highest-selling hybrid vehicles in the United States. In 2013, the Toyota Prius liftback was available in more than 80 countries and was the world's best-selling hybrid vehicle. According to U.S. News and World Report, the 2014 Toyota Camry is No. 1 in sales of hybrid vehicles and No. 2 in affordable mid-size automobiles.

The lecture is sponsored by the UTSA East Asia Institute, Center for Professional Excellence, Center for Student Professional Development and the Office of International Business Programs.

The UTSA East Asia Institute promotes appreciation and understanding of East Asian societies and cultures on campus and in the community through research, outreach, networking, education, student and faculty exchange, and business development and cooperation.

The institute organizes seminars, workshops, lectures, conferences, film festivals and visual art exhibitions, and it hosts performing arts groups from China, Japan, Korea and other Asian nations. It also encourages faculty research collaborations within UTSA and with participating East Asian university researchers.

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For more information, call 210-458-8550, email eai@utsa.edu or visit the UTSA East Asia Institute website.

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