Toyota Deploys Gensym's Intelligent Systems Technology for Planning Their Assembly Operations
BURLINGTON, Mass.--Aug. 13, 2002--Gensym Corporation (OTC Bulletin Board: GNSM), a leading provider of software and services for expert operations management, today announced that Toyota Motor Corporation is deploying G2 applications worldwide to improve the productivity of their manufacturing operations. G2 is Gensym's flagship product for expert system applications that can emulate the reasoning of human experts as they assess, diagnose, and respond to unusual operating situations or as they seek to optimize operations.
Toyota, the third largest manufacturer of automobiles in the world and the largest in Japan, produces more than 5.8 million vehicles per year. The company has 54 manufacturing companies in 27 countries/locations producing Lexus- and Toyota-brand vehicles and components.
Smoothing Toyota's Production
One major factor in Toyota's leadership position is its Toyota Production System. This system is world renowned for reducing inventories and defects in the plants of Toyota and its suppliers, and it underpins all of Toyota's operations across the world. This system involves a comprehensive set of practices that smooth material flows through Toyota's factories to minimize inventories and maximize productivity. These practices include arranging production as a continuous flow of materials; leveling by mixing the production of different kinds of products smoothly through each day, week, and month; and "pulling" work through production by building to order rather than building to inventory.
By deploying applications based on Gensym's G2 software, Toyota is helping their assembly planners create plans that best smooth production under the complexity of many different automotive models and production variables. Through smoother production, Toyota is able to further improve the productivity of their manufacturing operations.
"One challenge to smoothing production is quickly determining the most effective way to assign work throughout our assembly floor so that we have a level work load across each area," said Mr. Tatsuhisa Ishii, a group manager with Toyota. "Meeting this challenge is even more difficult when demands are changing rapidly. We have found that G2, with its ability to flexibly model operations through its software objects, is a valuable information technology for capturing, applying, adding, and modifying the knowledge needed to support these planning decisions.
"The technology is also enabling us to test candidate assembly plans through dynamic simulation. The G2 applications, for example, quickly identify a violation of complex constraints in an assembly plan, provide guidance on selecting work assignments for workers, and detect when individual workers will physically interfere with each other on the assembly line, all before actually implementing a plan on the assembly floor.
"With our applications based on G2, we are making planning decisions at a consistently high level of quality so that we are as productive as possible. We are also able to make these decisions more frequently so that we can be more flexible in responding to unexpected changes in demands or availability of production resources. We are currently using G2 applications in our Japanese facilities; have already deployed to U.S., Canada, U.K., France and Turkey; and are planning to deploy to other plants worldwide."
Gensym Partners Build Toyota's G2 Applications
To build and deploy their G2 expert system applications, Toyota is working with Itochu Techno-Science Corporation (CTC) and QualiTech, Inc., who are Gensym partners in Japan. CTC is one of the largest IT solution providers in Japan.
"CTC believes that G2's flexible object modeling and expert systems technology will continue to play a valuable role in Toyota's ability to constantly improve the productivity of their operations," said Mr. Mitsunori Toyoda, a deputy general manager with CTC. "We look forward to working with Toyota as they extend their investment in this technology."
"We are extremely pleased and honored that Toyota has selected our software for this important application area," said Lowell Hawkinson, CEO of Gensym. "This is an excellent example of how G2's expert system technology can improve the coordination and management of complex operations. It is also an excellent example of how our partners, such as CTC and QualiTech, play a key role for delivering solutions to our end users. We at Gensym look forward to Toyota's future deployments of our technology and to our continued partner relationship with CTC and QualiTech."
About Gensym Corporation
Gensym Corporation (www.gensym.com) is a provider of software products and services that enable organizations to automate aspects of their operations that have historically required the direct attention of human experts. Gensym's product and service offerings are all based on or relate to Gensym's flagship product G2, which can emulate the reasoning of human experts as they assess, diagnose, and respond to unusual operating situations or as they seek to optimize operations.
With G2, organizations in manufacturing, communications, transportation, aerospace, and government maximize the performance and availability of their operations. For example, Fortune 1000 manufacturers such as ExxonMobil, DuPont, Hitachi, LaFarge, Eli Lilly, and Seagate use G2 to help operators detect problems early and to provide advice that avoids off-specification production and unexpected shutdowns. Manufacturers and government agencies use G2 to optimize their supply chain and logistics operations. And communications companies such as AT&T, Ericsson Wireless, and Nokia use G2 to troubleshoot network faults so that network availability and service levels are maximized. Gensym has numerous partners who can help meet the specific needs of customers. Gensym and its partners deliver a range of services, including training, software support, application consulting and complete solutions. Through partners and through its direct sales force, Gensym serves customers worldwide.