Toyota Kicks Off Engine Production at New Plant in Indonesia

2016 is a huge year for Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indonesia (TMMIN). Just recently, the Japanese automaker’s vehicle production subsidiary in Indonesia has completed construction of a new engine facility, with production that began from the end of last month. Built with an investment of around 2.3 trillion rupiah, the Karawang Engine Plant, located in West Java, is capable of manufacturing 216,000 engines per year and will take on around 400 new employees. The facility will manufacture 1.3 and 1.5 liter NR engines, some of which will be for export.

With the aim of attaining sustainable growth, Toyota is building plants with a focus on competitiveness, which is a huge shift from the previous focus on high-volume production. The automaker also targets building plants that are safer and more eco-friendly, while also integrating state-of-the-art production technologies. This correlates to the company’s overarching target of building simple, slim, and flexible plants worldwide. As a result, Toyota’s newly-built plant in Indonesia is capable of handling fluctuations in demand and to house all aspects of the engine production under one roof.

Production processes have been previously pided and were carried out in separate locations due to space limitations. Also, processes downstream were also subject to the negative impacts of dust, tar, and heat produced in the casting process. However, by reducing equipment sizes and eliminating certain processes, Toyota has minimized the negative impacts on downstream processes, and thereby enables the inclusion of all steps of the production process in the same facility. This reduces the preliminary investment costs of facilities and machinery by 40 percent in comparison with a comparable investment if made in 2008. Moreover, with the elimination of in-process inventory, a leaner system of engine production has also been developed.

Speaking at the opening ceremony for the new plant held on site today, Toyota’s Senior Managing Officer Koei Saga said that Toyota sees TMMIN as one of their key hubs for the production and supply of both engines and vehicles. He added that through their operations here, they hope to maintain and reinforce their position as part of the local community in Indonesia. TMMIN President Director Masahiro Nonami and representatives of the Indonesian government, including the Minister of Industry were also present at the ceremony.

The Karawang engine Plant is a huge milestone that is worthy of celebration due to its new levels of efficiency. The following production technologies are launched at this plant:

• On-site smelting

A huge amount of molten alloy is needed during the process of casting key components. The alloy was previously melted in a huge smelting furnace away from the casting machine. Then, the molten metal would be brought to the casting machine.

Changes to the heat source and other modifications have enabled for reduction of the furnace size, enabling a shift to an on-site alloy smelting method in which the furnace is now directly connected to the casting machine. previously, this system has been adopted in the casting process for small components but this marks the very first time it has been used in the casting of huge components such as engines at Toyota facility outside if Japan.

The result is a huge enhancement when it comes to safety, as the risks associated with transporting molten metal have been eliminated. Moreover, the space needed for smelting and casting is considerably reduced by taking the transportation process out of the equation. Preliminary investment has also been reduced along with the reduction in the smelting furnace’s size. Additionally, fluctuations in demand can be dealt with more responsively, as the amount of molten metal can now be more readily adjusted in order to meet demand.

• Inorganic sand cores

Cores are devices placed in casting molds to create internal cavities in the final cast component. When the molten metal is poured in and has hardened, the cores get broken. Often, cores with organic additives are used during casting, due to the need for a combination of strength, ease of disintegration, molding properties, and heat resistance.

However, the use of cores with organic additives causes the emission of tar particles and strong odors during the combustion process. In turn, this calls for the use of huge dust collectors and deodorizers to eliminate such by-products. However, a technique has now been developed that enhances the shaping properties of cores through using inorganic matter additives instead of organic matter.

The reduction in the volume of tar particles that are emitted implies that the size of dust collectors can also be reduced. Apart from saving space, this also results in a huge reduction of fire risks as well as required cleaning maintenance, thereby enhancing overall safety standards. Additionally, the reduction in odor produced also eliminates the need for deodorizers, which further reduces the space designated for casting, and thereby reduces the preliminary investment.