Toyota Motor Corporation has recently announced via its website www.toyota-media.com/euen/ its plan of initiating sustainable plant activities for its production operations. The activities will focus on the role of nature in developing production sites that blend with their natural surroundings.
Toyota wants to develop and operate such production sites with the objective of reducing CO2 through the use of renewable energy including those derived from biomass and natural energy source such as wind and solar power. The automaker also aims to contribute to the local community and to help in conserving the environment by mean so planting trees and plants. It also wants to achieve a groundbreaking environmental performance through introduction of innovative technology and kaizen or improvement activities.
Toyota the producer of high quality Lexus car cover plans to employ its sustainable plant activities at its TMC’s Tsutsumi Plant which manufactures the Prius hybrid vehicle and chosen to pioneer the model sustainable plant. Aside from the cogeneration system that is already in place, the plant will also make use of a 2,000kW photovoltaic generation system which is one of the biggest in current use among the world’s automobile plants.
The press release posted at www.toyota-media.com/euen/ reported that Toyota is planning to paint some of the Tsutsumi’s exterior walls and other surfaces with environment improving photo catalytic paint which is designed to break down air-born nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides. The paint is said to have the cleansing effect of around 2,000 trees.
An environmental sustainable plant is not complete without the greeneries; Toyota is planning to have trees local to the area planted in the plant. The automaker also intends to use its biotechnology and its afforestation knowledge like for instance covering the ground and walls with NOx-absorbent vegetation. And as part of its plan to contribute to the local community it will open an on-site environmental educational facility for the enjoyment of the general public.
By implementing all of the above environmental plans with the photovoltaic generation as the main focus, Toyota hopes to lessen Tsutsumi’s CO2 emissions by 5 percent which is equivalent to what a 240 hectare tropical rain forest can absorbed.
Toyota Motor is also doing some developments on its Takaoka Plant. The automaker is installing new innovative assembly line which will begin operation soon. Toyota is hoping that the by further streamlining production systems such as Global Body Line and Set Parts System, it will be able to improve its productivity and energy efficiency. Moreover, the automaker is also expecting that with the addition of the a second innovative assembly line at Takaoka in 2009, the plant will be able to reduce CO2 emission by 35 percent.
Joe Ratzkin is an avid fan of anything automotive. This 34-year old bachelor wanted to be a mechanic when he was a kid but changed his mind and became a freelance writer and researcher instead. He is currently based in Chicago, Illinois.
