Assembly Services Sdn Bhd (ASSB), the wholly-owned subsidiary of UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd (UMWT) involved in the local assembly of Toyota vehicles, was recently visited by the Menteri Besar Selangor, Dato’ Seri Amirudin Bin Shari, who was there to personally view the facility’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Accompanied by the top management of UMWT and ASSB, the Menteri Besar was briefed on the best practices and procedures put in place in accordance with the government’s SOPs. During his tour of the plant, which currently assembles the Toyota Yaris and Vios models, he saw various areas such as the motorcycle parking section, staff locker rooms and canteen where changes have been made to meet social distancing requirements.

The ‘new normal’
In accordance with the SOPs, body temperature checks are conducted daily, with hand sanitization and utilization of face masks are made part of the ‘new normal’. In the canteen, the seating has been rearranged to provide distancing and the menu now consists of pre-packed food. Besides staggering working times, new procedures aimed at minimizing interaction so as to reduce the risks of coronavirus spread have also been adopted.

ASSB has also adopted measures from Toyota plants in other countries in response to the pandemic. One example shown was the installation of an additional partition at the Door Assembly Process.

While at the plant, Dato’ Seri Amirudin also visited Toyota Boshoku UMW Sdn Bhd, a joint-venture between Toyota Boshoku and UMW Toyota Motor which makes seat sets, door trims, headlinings, package trays for use in many models assembled locally.

PPE production for frontliners
As it has suitable equipment, Toyota Boshoku UMW set up production lines to produce Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) which is required by medical staff treating COVID-19 patients. More than 10,000 PPE items consisting of Boot Covers, Head Covers and Gowns were provided by UMWT to the Ministry of Health for distribution to hospitals around the country.

A small ceremony was held for ASSB and Toyota Boshoku UMW to hand over PPE kits to the Menteri Besar as a gesture of goodwill to the Selangor state government. The kits consisted of 100 pieces each of gowns, head covers and boot covers.

“We are grateful to the Selangor State Government for its approval and guidance which enabled ASSB to resume operations after a lengthy shutdown due to the Movement Control Order earlier. Our plant has implemented all the necessary requirements of the Standard Operating Procedures and additionally, we have also adopted some best practices developed by Toyota factories in other countries,” said Ravindran K., President of UMW Toyota Motor.

“Toyota Motor Corporation is also very serious about providing safe and healthy conditions for all employees. As a member of the global Toyota family, ASSB can therefore draw on healthcare advice and best practices from TMC regarding additional measures that can be taken here in Selangor,” added Akio Takeyama, Deputy Chairman of UMW Toyota Motor.

Toyota vehicle assembly in Malaysia resumes, starting with Vios and Yaris models