Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer has expanded its agreement with Toyota do Brasil to apply the fundamentals and concepts of the Toyota Production System (TPS) in its industrial operations.
Both companies have been collaborating since June 2022 to evaluate and suggest improvements in manufacturing at Embraer's main factory, the Ozires Silva Unit, located in São José dos Campos, in Brazil.
Luís Carlos Marinho, Executive Vice-President of Operations, Embraer, said, “Maintaining an ongoing exchange of ideas, team engagement and a continuous deepening of knowledge were fundamental to obtaining significant results and enhancing efficiency gains sustainably.We are pleased with the agreement expansion, which further strengthens and accelerates the dissemination of best practices in the production system.”
In a release, Embraer stated that the introduction of a new methodology implemented during a phase of the E-Jets commercial jet wings production yielded a notable reduction of 50% in the manufacturing cycle.
A 17% decrease was obtained in the total manufacturing time in wing production, contributing to an overall efficiency gain of approximately 20%. The Embraer Enterprise Excellence Programme (P3E) team will continue to expand the implementation of these collaborative initiatives with Toyota to other stages of wing manufacturing.
'This partnership involves exchanging experiences and fostering ideas for joint solutions, to strengthen the operations of the company. It is important to emphasise that the partnership also centers around developing our people and adapting mindsets to focus on continuous improvement,” said Masahiro Inoue, CEO, Toyota for Latin America.
As a result of the successful results, the two companies will expand the partnership for the joint development of other methodologies to be implemented at one of the stations on the E-Jets final assembly line.
Rafael Chang, President, Toyota do Brasil, said the application of TPS in Embraer's production processes is yet another concrete example of how the methodology can contribute to more efficient operations, regardless of its field of activity, providing agility, quality and standardisation, and directly impacting the competitiveness of the national industry.
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