St. Angelo to Lead Toyota's North American Quality Assurance

ERLANGER, Ky., March 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Toyota announced today that it has formed a new North American Quality Task Force led by senior automobile manufacturing executive Steve St. Angelo, who is Executive Vice President of Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America (TEMA).  He will guide the implementation of regional improvements in concert with the Special Committee for Global Quality led by Toyota Motor Corporation President Akio Toyoda.

Mr. St. Angelo was appointed to the new role of Chief Quality Officer for North America.  He will serve with counterparts from the other regions on Mr. Toyoda's committee, which meets for the first time on March 30 in Japan.

Each regional task force is specifically charged with executing a six-point action plan outlined by Mr. Toyoda on February 5.  Its elements include improved quality assurance; enhanced customer research; strengthened quality management training; incorporation of best practices through outside professionals; closer cooperation with regulatory authorities; and improved regional autonomy.  

"We are making fundamental changes in the way our company operates in order to ensure that Toyota sets an even higher standard for vehicle safety and reliability, responsiveness to customers, and transparency with regulators," Mr. St. Angelo said.  "The new organization will open the lines of communication globally and enable us to respond faster here in North America to any concerns about our vehicles.  In keeping with Akio Toyoda's mandate, North America will have greater autonomy and play a critical role in decision making on recalls and other safety issues."  

The North American Quality Task Force will bring together the senior executive management of Toyota's research and development, manufacturing, sales, and regulatory divisions and include a newly appointed Regional Product Safety Executive.  Dino Triantafyllos, the vice president of quality at TEMA, will oversee the processes that improve the visibility of customer concerns, expedite North American safety-related proposals, and play a key role in decision-making with regard to recalls and other safety issues in the field.

"The aim of our new quality task force is to assure that all of us in North America listen and respond to the voice of the customer," said Mr. Triantafyllos.  "My primary responsibility is to assure that we utilize all of the data at our disposal and that we promptly decide the appropriate action."

The North American Quality Task Force will work closely with former U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater, whom Toyota named on March 2 to lead an independent North American Quality Advisory Panel.  Mr. Slater is working with Toyota to appoint additional independent members to the panel.

Toyota (NYSE: TM) established operations in North America in 1957 and currently operates 14 manufacturing plants. There are more than 1,800 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealerships in North America which sold more than 2.05 million vehicles in 2009. Toyota directly employs more than 40,000 in North America and its investment here is currently valued at more than $23 billion, including sales and manufacturing operations, research and development, financial services and design. Toyota's annual purchasing of parts, materials, goods and services from North American suppliers totals more than $25 billion. Toyota currently produces 12 vehicles in North America, including the Avalon, Camry, Corolla, Highlander, Matrix, RAV4, Sienna, Sequoia, Tacoma, Tundra, Venza and the Lexus RX 350. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyota.com or www.toyotanewsroom.com.

SOURCE Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.