Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) president and CEO Andrew Kirby has announced that the local arm of the Japanese manufacturer has started production of face shields in South Africa.
The Toyota team at the Durban plant has used the technical expertise of its production engineering department to design and prototype an advanced face shield for mass production.
“Many companies around the world are producing face shields using 3D printers,” explains Kirby.
“We started with this and our cycle was around 17 minutes to produce one device. About 20 years ago we used to produce injection moulding and press tools, and fortunately we still have some of the expertise to do that in-house. So, we were able to machine an injection-moulding mould that could manufacture the brackets in high volumes.
“Normally the lead time to do this would between six to ten weeks, but, because we used the 3D printer to prototype the design and refine it, we could then also finalise the mould design and produce the mould in a fairly short space of time.
“The mould was then shipped to a local supplier named Motherson, to begin production of the brackets. The brackets are then shipped back to us and we do final assembly.”
TSAM has the capacity to produce 20 000 face shields a week.
These shields will be used locally at the Prospecton plant, in Durban, at Toyota dealerships, and at Toyota suppliers, while they will also be supplied to local hospitals, as well as first-time responders.
The mass production of these face shields started on April 20, and the first delivery has been made to Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital, in Umlazi, says Kirby.
“Our approach is to produce over 100 000 face shields, which we will deliver free of charge, but then to hand over the business to a small and/or medium enterprise to create a new supplier that can then continue operating.
“We would like to use this as an opportunity to support the country’s need for safety equipment, but also use [it] to create jobs and a new business opportunity.”
Kirby adds that Toyota will be supporting disadvantaged communities through the distribution of food parcels in areas around Prospecton plant, TSAM’s head office in Sandton and its Atlas road warehouse, in Ekurhuleni.
“Our focus will be on informal settlements. We’ll start off delivering food parcels in the communities around our production plant and then follow with deliveries in Gauteng.”