He is 57 years old, says he has not changed his taste and charm for Peruvian food. He was born in Lima and studied at the PUCP. His ability to take advantage of opportunities led him to ascend as a practitioner in Toyota from Peru, “taking copies and making infinities of things,” as he affirms, CEO for Latin America and the Caribbean of Toyota. Rafael Chang talks about Toyota, what is coming and Peru.
What were the habits, culture and beliefs that led him to the position in which he is?
One of Toyota’s principles of philosophy is the challenge with development. I entered Toyota from Peru in 1994 and, in 1996, I had the opportunity to travel to Japan to learn about the culture of the company and the Japanese. I have Japanese roots from my mother and I grew closely to her family. I have always been a person who takes advantage of the opportunities, so I returned to Japan in 2011 and stayed there for four years. Then, in 2015, I was offered to assume a challenge in Venezuela, in a particularly complex context. Get where I am has been the result of several factors. From the company, its focus on the development of people, the generation of opportunities and the constant search for challenges. From the personal, be prepared for when the opportunity arrives and, above all, decide to take the step.
What implies leading Toyota from Latin America and the Caribbean, considering the magnitude of the operation?
The scale of the operation is relatively large; Therefore, I have a very good team in which we have a lot of confidence and communication. Another important aspect is to be close to all stakeholders, starting with the parent company. I go to Japan four or five times a year. In addition, we have teleconferences with the company’s president once a week where we put on the table and discuss the things that are happening in each of the regions. We have a lot of empowerment to make decisions within the global corporate context.
What is your work style?
We have dealers and suppliers that I really like to visit them for beyond receiving a report, really see on the court what is happening. In the same way, I go to the factory, I am a lot on the desk, but not locked in four walls or receiving reports from the first line, but I speak with the various work teams, because that is part of our work philosophy: ‘ Gemba ‘is the place where things happen and’ Genchi Genbutsu ‘is going to the place, to listen, understand and take action.
The place where we are at this time is Banco Toyota (Sao Paolo, in Brazil), how does a vehicle manufacturer have a bank?
We are in the process of being a mobility company. What does it mean?: Produce vehicles, market them, sell them and serve our customers, also with other collaterals. One of them is financing and that is why we have the Toyota Bank in Brazil and Argentina.
What else includes being a mobility company?
Within this process, we also offer services such as the rental of vehicles for people and companies. A growing trend, especially among those who work from home, is the need to have a vehicle only on specific occasions, as for weekend trips. For them, we offer Kinto. Similarly, many companies prefer not to immobilize their capital in a fleet of vehicles and opt for a third party to manage their mobility. Through Kinto, we also provide this service. What we offer is a range of solutions for our clients.
Can more business lines come with this mobility offer?
Yes. For example, in Banco Toyota of Brazil, apart from the financing of vehicles we have the business wing called “Consortium”, which in Peru would become collective funds. In addition, the bank has also entered the insurance system. Another example is that we are increasingly entering the marketing of accessories in the used vehicle business, because the idea is to expand more and more the portfolio of services that we provide to our customers.
In Peru they work with MAF the offer of vehicular financing, what other additional businesses could deploy?
We are already coming with our new offer. Progress is being made. As you mentioned, the financial arm we have in Peru is through MAF. We are already starting our Kinto operation for both people and companies. Precisely, Toyota del Perú will strengthen this business area. Then, the model we have at the global and regional level is also applied at the local level.
Can the competition be disruptive, as we saw it recently at AI with Depseek. What comes again in Peru to defend its 20 quota points?
One of the pillars of our business, in addition to mobility, is technology. I consider that the electrification process in the vehicle industry is a tool or fundamental weapon to maintain our position. Our strategy is based on multitecnology, since we understand that each country has different needs and conditions. Therefore, we offer a diversified range of vehicles: internal combustion, hybrids (leaders in the electrification process), plug -in, electric and hydrogen hybrids. In the case of Peru, all these technologies are available, except hydrogen.
What is the importance for Toyota the production of electrified vehicles?
It is important for several reasons. First, because we firmly believe that it is our responsibility to contribute to the environment and the planet. Therefore, we promote that the discussion does not focus solely on vehicle technology, but on the really important: how to reduce carbon levels. Second, consumers are increasingly demanding a greater environmental commitment by manufacturers in all sectors. For these reasons, both from our vision and commitment and company, and for consumer expectations, we have to produce these vehicles.
What is the participation of electrified vehicles in the production of Toyota?
In round numbers, in the global field, Toyota produces about 10 million vehicles, of which 40% are already electrified and especially hybrids. That marks the pattern at the global level, which is also replicated at the regional level. The most advanced country in this electrification process is Brazil, but if we look at specific models, for example, Corolla or Corolla Cross, which reach Peru, the level of hybrid demand within Corolla already reaches 40%. With the investment we are making of US $ 2,000 million in Brazil to expand the factory, we will introduce two more hybrid models. In addition, we are studying the possibility of producing plug -in hybrid vehicles, which will occur when we see that there is a level of demand and development of the infrastructure.
Imagine that as an outstanding Peruvian one of the country’s authorities asks the ear about what we need to have new industries such as vehicles. What would I say?
The fundamental thing is education. Education is the fundamental basis for the development of the country, not only economic, but in all aspects. A good educational system that generates high quality professionals committed to the country can help a lot to the economic development of Peru. Then, what industries? We have to see what the strengths that the country has to focus on these. We also need to have a lot of consistency, because that provides predictability for companies. One of the factors to decide where to do industry is predictability. In the automotive sector, our investments are for 10 or 20 years, so predictability is very important and that has a lot to do with public policies.
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