Various organizational changes will take effect April 1, as the company moves to further streamline its structure in North America in order to speed decision-making and further enhance customer satisfaction.

Enhancement of North American Senior Vice President Roles
Four Toyota executives will receive broader cross-affiliate responsibilities in their roles as senior vice presidents of Toyota Motor North America, Inc. (TMA). These four, who will maintain their current responsibilities at affiliates, include:
 

• Ray Tanguay, chairman of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada, Inc. (TMMC), who will now oversee all North American quality and risk management.
• Jim Lentz, president of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. (TMS), who will now oversee all North American sales, marketing, product planning, corporate planning and corporate affairs.
• Kazuhiro Miyauchi, executive vice president of Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing, North America, Inc. (TEMA), who will now oversee all North American purchasing and parts localization.
• Steve St. Angelo, executive vice president of TEMA, who will now oversee all North American manufacturing, production engineering, production control as well as parts and vehicle logistics.

New Leader at TTC
Seiya Nakao, currently senior vice president of TEMA and based at the Toyota Technical Center (TTC) in Ann Arbor, Mich., will succeed Shigeki Terashi as president of TTC. In addition to his role as president of TTC, Nakao will also be named executive vice president of TEMA, and will continue to report to Terashi.

Previously Announced
The changes listed above are in addition to those announced last week, including Shigeki Terashi being named chief regional officer for North America when he assumes his role as president of TMA and chair of Toyota’s North America Executive Committee (NA-EC); and Lentz being promoted to president and CEO of TMS.

Message from Mr. Terashi
"While there are no other changes planned regarding reporting relationships for associates and team members at the affiliates, the four senior vice presidents will be given broad oversight responsibility across affiliate lines,” said Terashi. “Together with all the members of our Executive Committee, we are committed to strengthening our cohesiveness.”

“I’ve asked each of the four senior vice presidents to gather and lead cross-affiliate teams to improve processes and enhance regional performance,” he added. “We will meet regularly and work together to become even more responsive to all our stakeholders in North America, especially our customers."