Toyota Material Handling Partners with Bastian Solutions on 100th Automated Installation
Toyota Material Handling – in partnership with Bastian Solutions – holds a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the company’s AutoStore installation within its Parts Distribution Center in Columbus, Ind.
Pictured (Front L-R): Bastian Solutions Chairman Hito Matsuoka, AutoStore director of sales - North America Joe Elie, and Toyota Material Handling North America President & CEO Brett Wood (Back L-R): Toyota Material Handling vice president of aftermarket operations Bret Bruin and Toyota Material Handling president & CEO Bill Finerty.
Toyota Material Handling unveiled an upgrade to its parts distribution center (PDC) at its Indiana headquarters on October 28, in collaboration with Bastian Solutions, part of Toyota Automated Logistics. This milestone marks Bastian’s 100th AutoStore system installation, underscoring its automation expertise and enhancing Toyota’s capacity to process and deliver parts efficiently.
“At Toyota, we will always be driven by what is best for our customers. This AutoStore integration will allow us to deliver parts to customers across North America faster than ever before, ensuring their forklift fleets are up and running when they need them most,” said Bret Bruin, Toyota Material Handling vice president of aftermarket operations. “It’s amazing to see this project come together, in partnership with the teams at Bastian and AutoStore, to eliminate unnecessary waste and add efficiencies for the benefit of our customers.”
The AutoStore integrates cutting-edge robotics, automation and artificial intelligence into Toyota’s operations. In alignment with Toyota’s 2050 Vision for sustainability, the AutoStore system operates on rechargeable battery-powered robots, consuming energy only when in motion.
The innovative system leverages vertical storage, maximizing unused space within the PDC. While the facility typically stocks an average of 55,000 stock-keeping units (SKUs), the new system dramatically increases storage capacity—from 40,000 to more than 128,000 storage locations—allowing Toyota to house more parts. This contributes to operational cost savings and is indicative of Toyota’s philosophy of Kaizen – or continuous improvement.
“Today, we can reach over 80 percent of our customers with two-day shipping. Our goal is to reach 98 percent of our customers with next-day ground by 2030,” Bruin said. “This new AutoStore integration and enhanced Parts Distribution Center will play a significant role in helping us achieve that goal.”
Minimizing manual labor
The AutoStore system minimizes manual labor by utilizing 28 autonomous robots that operate on a grid. These robots retrieve and deliver totes to four picking ports, each capable of processing up to 175 totes per hour. With the ability to fulfill up to 700 orders per hour, the system ensures faster and more accurate order processing.
To further enhance operational efficiency, AI-driven software strategically positions high-volume inventory for quicker access and provides real-time visibility, ensuring Toyota Genuine Parts are readily available. The natural slotting system places low-volume parts at the bottom of the grid while keeping high-demand parts easily accessible to expedite order processing time. With the AutoStore system, Toyota ensures reliable order fulfillment, faster turnaround times, and improved customer satisfaction from its North American dealer network.
“Bastian is proud to support Toyota Material Handling in their efforts to deliver even greater customer service through an innovative, sustainable automation system,” said Aaron Jones, president and CEO of Bastian Solutions. “That focus on continuous improvement and quality solutions is at the heart of everything we do as Toyota group companies, and leveraging an incredible partner such as AutoStore is that final connection to ensure success now and into the future.”
While the robots and AI handle repetitive tasks, Toyota's commitment to Jidoka – or automation with human touch – ensures associates to spend their time on more strategic tasks. This allows Toyota to focus on problem solving, innovation and quality control, emphasizing the importance of human insight in driving operational excellence.
During Toyota’s ribbon-cutting event at its Indiana headquarters, executives hosted guided tours to give stakeholders an exclusive firsthand look at the cutting-edge innovations and capabilities of the new AutoStore capabilities.
Learn more about Toyota Material Handling’s parts distribution at ToyotaForklift.com.
About the Author
Michael Roth
Editor
Michael Roth has covered the equipment rental industry full time for RER since 1989 and has served as the magazine’s editor in chief since 1994. He has nearly 30 years experience as a professional journalist. Roth has visited hundreds of rental centers and industry manufacturers, written hundreds of feature stories for RER and thousands of news stories for the magazine and its electronic newsletter RER Reports. Roth has interviewed leading executives for most of the industry’s largest rental companies and manufacturers as well as hundreds of smaller independent companies. He has visited with and reported on rental companies and manufacturers in Europe, Central America and Asia as well as Mexico, Canada and the United States. Roth was co-founder of RER Reports, the industry’s first weekly newsletter, which began as a fax newsletter in 1996, and later became an online newsletter. Roth has spoken at conventions sponsored by the American Rental Association, Associated Equipment Distributors, California Rental Association and other industry events and has spoken before industry groups in several countries. He lives and works in Los Angeles when he’s not traveling to cover industry events.