Teams in Production and Operations Management Research Paper

Teams in Production and Operations Management - Research Paper Example ow has many brands under it developing from the Toyota AA in 1936 to a group of companies that include the Lexus, Scion, Hino Motors and Daihatsu brands today. Toyota has grown steadily throughout the years and it overtook General Motors in 2008 to become the leading global manufacturer of automobiles. In 2006, the company was announced as the most profitable in the automotive industry with its profits rising to $11 billion in that year. During this period, its market share increased with improvement in sales across the board. The most notable increase in the company sales was observed in the US. The company has many subsidiaries and the Toyota Financial Services is the most notable. The company sells finances, as well as dealing with other investment and trading ventures. Apart from the brands that the company wholly owns, it has a 51% stake in the Daihatsu brand, 5.9% in Isuzu Motors Ltd., and 16.7% in Fuji Heavy Industries a company that also manufactures Subaru vehicles. Other products include hybrid vehicles that run on gasoline and electricity, an automated parking system and economy shifting and eight speed automatic transmission ve hicles among many other inventions. Toyota has a large market share in the United States, Africa, Australia and Asia. However, the market share is relatively small in Europe. In 2005, there were 8.54 million vehicles that were produced by Toyota together with its half-owned subsidiary, Daihatsu Motors. This figure represents about 500,000 less in the number that General Motors produced in the same year. The Daihatsu conglomerate can be considered to be the fastest growing branch of the company in Southeast Asia. Considering the competition that is present in the Far East Asia countries, the company can be considered as having a very sound marketing campaign as it has a substantial market share in those countries also. Fortune Global 500 placed Toyota as the fifth largest company in the world. After the recession that was