Toyota's Secret To Cutting Costs Is Surprisingly Simple: Build Fewer Parts

• A major Toyota supplier wants to reduce the number of part types by a third.
• Toyota Boshoku is targeting a 76 percent reduction in headrest components.
• Meeting duration is going down by 42 percent.

Toyota is looking for ways to cut costs, and one of its biggest suppliers has a surprisingly simple answer: build fewer parts. Toyota Boshoku, the company responsible for a huge range of seats and interior components, is targeting a major improvement in profitability by 2030, and reducing complexity is one of the key ingredients.