How Toyota Used a Unified Architecture Approach to Eliminate 240 Hours of Monthly Waste

“Toyota’s approach aligned with its core philosophy that problems should be solved with process first, technology second,” writes Automation World’s David Greenfield.

David Greenfield

Anna Smith

Oct. 24, 2025

When Toyota North America discovered that its digital infrastructure was enabling motion waste, it used agile development methodologies to design a solution and address digital fragmentation.

“Under the old process, bringing 200 assets online took an average of 33 days,” writes Automation World Editor-in-Chief David Greenfield. “With the new system, the same task is completed in less than a day and can be accomplished in under an hour when all necessary information is readily available.”

Learn more about Toyota’s continuous improvement journey at IndustryWeek partner brand Automation World: From Hours to Seconds: How Toyota Eliminated Motion Waste in Manufacturing

About the Author

David Greenfield

Automation World Editor-in-Chief

David Greenfield joined Automation World in June 2011. Bringing a wealth of industry knowledge and media experience to his position, David’s contributions can be found in AW’s print and online editions and custom projects. Earlier in his career, David was Editorial Director of Design News at UBM Electronics, and prior to joining UBM, he was Editorial Director of Control Engineering at Reed Business Information, where he also worked on Manufacturing Business Technology as Publisher.