Two Unlikely Partners, One Powerful and Innovative Collaboration: Toyota Teams With Canadian Blood Services To Improve Productivity, Service and Quality for Canadians

• Toyota shares its manufacturing know-how with Canadian Blood Services, a Canadian biologics manufacturer

TORONTO, Feb. 19, 2016 /CNW/ - Toyota and Canadian Blood Services are pleased to share the results of their unique partnership over the past year. Toyota has been sharing its manufacturing process knowledge with Canadian Blood Services, a biologics manufacturer, to help improve the efficiency of the Canadian blood supply chain process.

For more than 70 years, Toyota has excelled at developing its manufacturing processes and has worked hard to continuously improve them. Based on the philosophies of the Toyota Production System, Toyota also collaborates with organizations such as Canadian Blood Services to help them become more productive, maximize available resources and improve quality and safety.

"Toyota is committed to being a company that is about much more than selling vehicles," said Larry Hutchinson, President and CEO, Toyota Canada Inc. "Sharing knowledge as a means of giving back to the community is a different approach – and we're excited to make an impact in the lives of Canadians in this innovative way."

"We are proud to have partnered with Toyota to find ways to improve our productivity, service and quality," says Dr. Graham Sher, CEO, Canadian Blood Services. "As a result of what we have learned from the Toyota Production System, we have significantly improved our production and distribution processes at our facility in Brampton, Ontario."

Representatives of both organizations worked together to identify opportunities to improve processes at the Canadian Blood Services' production and distribution facility in Brampton, Ontario. By learning how to identify and solve problems using principles of the Toyota Production System, Canadian Blood Services was able to make key improvements such as:

• Production and sorting improvements, to gain additional production time of 1 hour per day
• Standardized storage areas to improve workflow, creating additional benefits for employees such as less time in -20°C freezers
• 30% reduction in steps taken by employees as a result of reorganized workstations creating better workflow for employees
• Packing time reduction by 40%. By reorganizing storage areas, making problems more visible and standardizing work processes, employees can find the right products quickly and accurately

This collaboration began with sharing the four fundamental philosophies of the Toyota Production System:

1. The customer comes first
2. People are our most valuable resource
3. Continuous improvement
4. Shop floor focus – working alongside those closest to the process.

Based on these principles, Toyota's goal was to equip Canadian Blood Services with the knowledge and tools necessary for the organization to create and apply its own approaches. For any change to be sustainable, it must be embraced by those who carry on the day-to-day jobs. To empower and energize the Canadian Blood Services team, Toyota became part of the Canadian Blood Services family for the duration of the project.

Visit toyota.ca/BeyondTheRoad to learn more about the collaboration between these unlikely partners. The interactive page allows you to scroll through the blood production story at Canadian Blood Services and includes the journey story told by those directly involved in the partnership.

Visit media.toyota.ca for a copy of an infographic outlining the blood production process with results highlights of the collaboration between Toyota and Canadian Blood Services.

You Can Also Make A Difference: To Donate

Toyota Canada encourages all Canadians to donate blood. It's estimated that 4.6 million Canadians are eligible to donate blood but only 4% actually do it. Visit blood.ca and hema-quebec.qc.ca to find out how you can help save lives by donating.

About Toyota Canada Inc.

Toyota Canada Inc. (TCI) is the exclusive Canadian distributor of Toyota, Lexus and Scion vehicles. Toyota has sold over 4.6 million vehicles in Canada through a national network of 285 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealerships. Toyota is dedicated to bringing safety, quality, dependability and reliability in the vehicles Canadians drive and the service they receive. TCI's head office is located in Toronto, with regional offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Halifax and parts distribution centres in Toronto and Vancouver. Toyota operates two manufacturing facilities in Canada. Having produced more than six million vehicles, popular Canadian models built at these facilities include Toyota RAV4, Toyota Corolla, Lexus RX 350 and RX 450h hybrid.

About Canadian Blood Services

Canadian Blood Services manages the national supply of blood, blood products and stem cells, and related services for all the provinces and territories (excluding Quebec). We operate an integrated, pan-Canadian service delivery model that includes leading an interprovincial system for organ donation and transplantation. Our national scope, infrastructure and governance make us unique in the Canadian healthcare landscape. Canadian Blood Services is regulated as a biologics manufacturer by Health Canada and primarily funded by the provincial and territorial ministries of health. Canadian Blood Services is a not-for-profit charitable organization.

For more details, including a full list of media contacts, digital images and product details please visit media.toyota.ca.

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SOURCE Toyota Canada Inc.

Image with caption: "Two Unlikely Partners, One Powerful and Innovative Collaboration: Toyota Teams With Canadian Blood Services To Improve Productivity, Service and Quality for Canadians (CNW Group/Toyota Canada Inc.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160219_C7050_PHOTO_EN_624868.jpg