Toyota Material Handling, U.S.A. (Irvine, Calif.), Inc. has appointed Kosaku Yamada, former chief engineer of the Toyota Camry, as the new managing director of Toyota Industries Corp. He will oversee the design, development and manufacturing process of Toyota lift trucks.
Yamada's experience includes numerous years as the chief engineer at Toyota Motor Corp. where he was responsible for the design and development process for many of Toyota's vehicles, including the Camry, Lexus ES300 and Avalon. His career with Toyota spans 30 years. The vehicles he designed consistently rank among the best selling in the United States.
"We are thrilled Kosaku's experience and creative vision is now focused on developing Toyota's lift trucks," says Shankar Basu, president and CEO of TMHU. "It is a perfect fit to have the best-selling vehicle engineer now designing the best-selling lift trucks."
Yamada is responsible for implementing new design concepts to offer comprehensive safety, ergonomic and productivity features. In this current position, he oversees Toyota's global lift truck research, development, design and manufacturing.
"I am always excited by a new challenge," Yamada says. "Although the logistics of the design process are different with lift trucks, the goal is the same -- customer satisfaction."
Yamada joined Toyota Motor Corporation in 1972 and less than 20 years later was appointed project general manager of its product-planning department. He previously served as chief engineer of the Camry from 1991 to 2001, and in 2002 he became general manager of the product-planning office in TICO's vehicle division.
Source: Toyota Material Handling, U.S.A., Inc.
