Toyota Motor Corp. is safeguarding its nearly $1 billion investment pledge to air taxi maker Joby Aviation Inc. by troubleshooting production processes and mulling a deeper manufacturing role.
The Japanese automaker, which last year became Jobys largest shareholder, has a team of almost 200 employees working to supply critical parts, training tips and assembly line know-how. That involves deploying a set of lean manufacturing precepts known as the Toyota Production System, or TPS, said Sandy Lobenstein, Toyotas group vice president of flying mobility.
Were really trying to bring TPS and the philosophy of TPS into the operations here, Lobenstein told reporters on a tour of Jobys factory. Those types of innovations are helping to improve the lead time to production and scaling.
Joby is among a handful of startups developing eVTOL aircraft electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles to fly customers on short commuter journeys via battery-powered air taxis. The Santa Cruz, California-based firm is currently set up to make one aircraft a month, but plans to boost that to as many as four per month by 2027.
Shares of Joby, which will report fourth-quarter earnings on Feb. 25, are down about 23% this year. They fell sharply last month after the company announced a $1 billion equity and convertible bond offering to raise cash. The stock rose 2.9% to $10.16 as of 10:35 a.m. in New York on Friday.
Full certification for commercial flight operations by the US Federal Aviation Administration and regulators in other countries is still pending. Joby previously said it aimed to start commercial passenger services in Dubai by early this year, but the exact timeline is unclear. It has pushed back earlier goals to begin service from 2024 and then 2025.
We are targeting to be able to start carrying passengers this year, Eric Allison, Jobys chief product officer, told reporters.
Stress-testing
As it awaits certification and the final $250 million tranche in Toyotas promised $894 million in funding the company is assembling prototype aircraft and stress-testing parts and manufacturing processes. Joby wouldnt specify the defect rate for parts undergoing testing, but Allison said the number of non-conforming components is trending in the right direction.
The car giant is now considering a proposed strategic manufacturing alliance to strengthen its relationship further ahead of Jobys planned production ramp-up. Joby has said it aims to make as many as 500 aircraft a year once it builds out facilities in California and Ohio.
Toyota began financing Joby in 2020, two years after its venture capital arm participated in a funding round. It has taken on a larger role as its investment has grown. Toyotas Lobenstein was tasked with overseeing the partnership a year ago.
For now, Toyotas main role is advisory, in addition to supplying key subcomponents for Jobys aircraft motors. The automakers North American manufacturing chief, Kevin Voelkel, has visited Jobys operations twice, most recently this month, to share tips on things like improving efficiency and safety.
Visible signs of Toyota are scant at Jobys main production hub near Monterey, California. Unlike the carmakers own plants or even Honda Motor Co.s jet factory in North Carolina, theres no central assembly line. Parts are assembled at various separate workstations in a hangar and then transported by truck to a nearby Quonset hut for final assembly.
Also absent are Toyotas trademark andon cords to flag problems, robots pushing parts bins and wall-hung banners exhorting workers that Safety is No. 1! Toyota currently has about 30 employees on site.
Dawson writes for Bloomberg.
丰田汽车公司正通过排查生产流程问题并考虑深化制造参与度，来保障其对空中出租车制造商Joby Aviation Inc.近10亿美元的投资承诺。
这家日本汽车制造商去年成为Joby Aviation的最大股东，目前拥有近200名员工组成的团队，负责提供关键零部件、培训指导及生产线专业技术。丰田飞行出行事业部集团副总裁桑迪·洛本斯坦表示，相关工作涉及运用一套被称为"丰田生产系统"（TPS）的精益制造准则。
洛本斯坦（Lobenstein）在带领记者参观乔比（Joby）工厂时表示："我们正努力将丰田生产体系（TPS）及其核心理念引入这里的运营中。这类创新有助于缩短生产周期并提升规模化效率。"
乔比航空（Joby）是少数几家研发电动垂直起降飞行器（eVTOL）的初创企业之一，旨在通过电池驱动的空中出租车为乘客提供短途通勤服务。这家总部位于加州圣克鲁兹的公司目前每月可生产一架飞行器，但计划到2027年将产量提升至每月四架。
乔比航空（Joby）的股价今年已下跌约23%，该公司将于2月25日公布第四季度财报。上个月，该公司宣布发行10亿美元股票及可转换债券以筹集资金后，股价曾大幅下挫。截至周五纽约时间上午10:35，该股上涨2.9%，报10.16美元。
美国联邦航空管理局及其他国家监管机构尚未完成对商业飞行运营的全面认证。乔比航空（Joby）此前表示，其目标是在今年初于迪拜启动商业客运服务，但具体时间表尚不明确。该公司已多次推迟原定计划，最初计划从2024年开始运营，后又延至2025年。
乔比公司首席产品官埃里克·艾利森（Eric Allison）向记者表示：“我们的目标是在今年开始载客运营。”
压力测试
在等待认证以及丰田承诺的8.94亿美元资金中最后一笔2.5亿美元拨款的同时，该公司正在组装原型飞机，并对零部件及制造工艺进行压力测试。Joby未透露测试中的零件缺陷率，但艾莉森表示，不合格零件的数量正“朝着正确的方向发展”。
这家汽车巨头正考虑建立一项战略制造联盟提案，以在乔比航空（Joby）计划提高产量前进一步巩固双方合作关系。乔比公司表示，其在加利福尼亚州和俄亥俄州的工厂建成后，目标年产飞机可达500架。
丰田公司于2020年开始向Joby Aviation注资，此前两年其风投部门已参与过一轮融资。随着投资规模扩大，丰田在该项目中扮演了更重要的角色。一年前，丰田的洛本斯坦（Lobenstein）被委派负责监督这一合作伙伴关系。
目前，丰田除为Joby的飞机发动机提供关键零部件外，主要扮演顾问角色。该汽车制造商的北美生产负责人凯文·沃克尔（Kevin Voelkel）本月再次造访Joby的运营部门，这是其第二次来访，旨在分享提升效率与安全性等方面的经验。
在加州蒙特雷附近的Joby主要生产基地，丰田的痕迹几乎难以察觉。与丰田自家工厂乃至本田汽车在北卡罗来纳州的喷气机工厂不同，这里没有集中的装配线。零部件在机库内分散的工作站完成组装后，再由卡车运至附近的拱形活动房屋进行最终装配。
丰田标志性的安灯拉绳（用于标识问题）、推动零件箱的机器人以及墙上悬挂的"安全第一！"标语横幅也都不见踪影。目前丰田在现场约有30名员工。
道森为彭博社撰稿。
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