Welcome to the Toyota Material Handling career page
Here we have gathered all relevant information for you who are interested in a future career at Toyota Material Handling. Among other things, you can meet our employees, learn more about our sustainability work and see what we can offer you as a student or jobseeker.
About us
With Toyota Industries Corporation, founded in 1926, we at Toyota Material Handling have a long history with our Japanese heritage and we are proud to be a world leader in materials handling. Today, approximately 4,000 employees in Sweden work with material handling from development concepts to produced vehicles, sales and service. Our product range covers everything from manual hand trucks to autonomous self-driving 1.5 tonne vehicles and innovative energy solutions.
With us, the employee is central and our employees describe us as a friendly company with a focus on personal development, personal responsibility and sustainability.
In Sweden, Toyota Material Handling is mainly located in Mjölby, Gothenburg and Stockholm.
Mjölby
All product development takes place in Mjölby, from idea to finished product, including testing and verification of our manual and autonomous products. The facility has one of the world's largest factories for the production of warehouse trucks, which is also carbon neutral since 2019. The company's European headquarters are also located here. A total of about 3,000 employees work at the facility.
Göteborg
In Frihamnen in Gothenburg, we at Toyota Material Handling have a centre for the development of new technologies and solutions in logistics and automation. About 130 employees work here.
Stockholm and the rest of the country
The head office for service, sales and marketing is located in Stockholm, where about 100 people are stationed. We have a total of 440 employees in these functions and we are represented in about 20 locations around the country. Our service technicians are located all over Sweden, close to our customers and start from home.
Meet our colleagues
Calinne, Mechanical designer
What is your background?
Master of Science in Design and Product Development at Linköping University. I worked at Toyota in the summer when I was studying year 4 and later also did my dissertation here in the department for future technologies. I have worked in the department for autonomous vehicles as a mechanical designer since 2019.
Why did you choose Toyota as your employer?
I chose Toyota as my employer as I think the technology and products are exciting while at the same time providing good development opportunities. For me, it was also important that Toyota's values were in line with my own.
Describe your normal working day.
Right now I am involved in a few different big and small projects. An example of a smaller project can be to construct an improvement on a detailed article, then draw it in CAD and make a drawing basis. For large projects, it depends a bit on what phase the project is in. At the moment, there are tests and verification in our test lab.
What qualities are important to have in your job?
Accuracy, curiosity and a systematic approach. A dose of creativity is also a good thing!
What is most challenging about your job?
It is a challenge to be able to understand different perspectives. It is important to think about service and producibility. It is important not to do anything complicated or impossible for someone else.
Rickard, Group leader
What is your background?
I have a three-year high school education from the football high school in Åtvidaberg where I did Social studies/Economics.
Describe your normal working day.
No two days are alike and that's mainly why I appreciate this role.
Usually a working day starts with a morning report with my Team Leaders, where we go through yesterday's results, stop times and quality, status of the current situation, attendance and how the work is organized for the day.
Then we report the previous days results to the production managers and if there are any challenges ahead this the day.
I usually go out in the factory and talk to my employees to check the current situation with them and also get a clear view of where we stand in relation to the day´s goals.
Parts of the day are also spent planning for the future and tomorrow. Are there any planned increases in production that will require more staff? Do we have many vacancies before the holidays? Planning is important to get a grip on what is happening in the future.
What is most challenging about your job?
To motivate each employee over time to constantly do that little extra to keep the machines as high quality as possible.
What do you like best about your job?
To be involved in developing and seeing the staff work together to achieve the goals we set.
Sandy, Software developer
What is your background?
Master of Science in Technical Physics and Electrical Engineering at Linköping University. I started my career at the company by doing Toyota Summer Internship 2017 as a student.
Why did you choose Toyota as your employer?
Secure employer with many benefits for me as an employee. Good boss, enjoyable work, and I can sleep well given the sensible sustainability investments we make.
Describe your normal working day.
Normally, I start the day by going through the factory and where I see how trucks are used and produced. The way to the office continues through the lab where the trucks are tested. Once in the office, I code all day and test on trucks when needed. Run the company's group workout at lunch sometimes, and play floorball with of my colleagues two days a week. At present, however, due to the pandemic, most things happen digitally at a distance, both work and meetings and exercise.
What qualities are important to have in your job?
The ability to collaborate is very important; as a software developer you connect many of the truck's different parts and thereby several different departments and colleagues.
What do you like best about your job?
The workplace, colleagues and the product!
Eva, Software Manager
What is your background?
30 years in software development, of which a large part in IT in the automotive industry - project and management, requirements and usability methodology, improvement work, consulting manager etc.
In addition, a fairly solid background in scouting, which has had a strong impact on my view of people and leadership.
Why did you choose Toyota as your employer?
Toyota's good name in continuous improvement and change. The opportunity to work closely with product development, in a really fun technology and business area.
Describe your normal working day.
Normal? Is there such a thing? Jokes aside - my work day usually begins with a short morning meeting with Team Leader and Project Manager, to take the pulse of ongoing work and identify dependencies and possible obstacles. After that, my day is filled with meetings, conversations and chats that are about solving problems that arise and driving our work forward in the long term - strategy, improvement work, priorities, cooperation, personnel issues, recruitment and more. I have also started a new habit - as often as I can I try to have lunch with one of my colleagues, just the two of us.
What qualities are important to have in your job?
Big ears, humour and insight that I have to learn new things all the time.
What is most challenging about your job?
Constant prioritizing - there is so much I wish we could work on!
What do you like best about your job?
My colleagues!
Fredrik, Sales
What is your background?
Electrician basically. Worked for many years with car sales, before I "stumbled" into the truck industry. I never thought it could be as edifying and fun as it actually is.
What does a normal working day look like?
I always start the day with a big cup of coffee and then I read my emails, today's agenda and goals. Then I plan for today's meetings and go out into the field for a day of customer visits. At present, however, a lot of this is done digitally instead. I use the time between meetings for administration, quotes, follow-ups, exploration of new customers etc. I usually try to set aside a few hours each week to go around and map companies and note possible areas. It gives me a good local knowledge.
What is the best thing about your job?
I would say it’s having the freedom of responsibility even if it sounds cliché. But it's something that’s really uplifting. To manage the job myself and at the same time know that I have a good boss just a call away when needed.
Sustainability
We have a holistic perspective and work actively with sustainability. For us, sustainability means protecting the best interests of our employees, customers and the world around us. An example of this is that our factory in Mjölby has been conducting carbon dioxide-neutral production since 2019.
Sustainable work environment
Work environment and safety
Work environment and safety form the basis for our products and our production.
Together we can make a difference.
Safety first
We work according to the principles:
- Safety
- Quality
- Production
Society
To contribute to society, we collaborate with several actors in the region and the nationally. This year we have collaborated with Blodomloppet Linköping and Stockholm, Samhall, Tensta Basket, Mjölby municipality and Save the Children.
Sustainable gold
For the past five years, we have been awarded gold by Ecovadis for our sustainability work.
Committed employees
Develop and thrive
At Toyota, we work actively to create conditions for our employees to develop and thrive in a healthy environment.
Education
300 training opportunities per year
45 leadership training sessions per year
Friendly
Our employees describe us as a warm and friendly workplace where everyone is treated fairly and with respect no matter who you are.
Health
We create conditions for sustainable health by, among other things, offering our employees:
- group training
- gym
- yoga
- social events
- massage
- health lectures
Minimized environmental impact
Active stand
Everything we companies and people do has an impact on the environment.
For us, it is important to take an active stand for the environment and minimize our environmental impact.
Since 2019, our production in Mjölby is carbon neutral.
ISO-certificates
Our facility in Mjölby is certified according to ISO 9001, 14 001, 45 001. In 2020 we were also energy certified according to ISO 50 001.
Sustainable restaurant
The lunch restaurant in Mjölby has been KRAV-certified since 2021. All meat served is from Sweden and all fish is MSC-labelled.
Sustainable development
90 % of our electrical products can run on Lithium-ion batteries which reduces energy consumption by 13 %-25 % and energy loss by
10 %-20 %.
Employee offer
To make it easier for jobseekers, we have chosen to summarize what employment at Toyota Material Handling means in what we call Toyota's Employee Offer. The employee offer consists of three levels where level 1 is about the terms and benefits that are included in the employment. Level 2 consists of our employees' experiences and description of us as employers and level 3 describes the higher purpose or impact a job with us has in relation to the outside world.
Compensation and benefits
For newly graduated students, we have standardized starting salaries, but otherwise we apply individual salary setting. We also have a common bonus for all our employees based on our set goals and results.
When it comes to other benefits, we offer, among other things, occupational pension, life insurance, wellness allowance, parental pay and a solid benefits portal. When it comes to wellness, for example in Mjölby, we offer our employees eight group training sessions a week, a newly renovated gym and healthy food in a KRAV-certified restaurant. During the pandemic, we also offer our employees digital wellness opportunities.
Health
Our employees know us as a friendly and fair employer where everyone is treated well and fairly regardless of position and who you are (Great Place Work survey, 2020). Here, we are all employees. According to Great Place To Work, our working hours are also perceived as generous and it is easy to take time off from work for holidays and other activities.
Career
A career at Toyota Material Handling is characterized by a high degree of personal responsibility, varied and challenging tasks and good development opportunities. Several of our employees have worked for many years at the company and have chosen to test new roles and challenges within the company. Welders have become technicians, designers have become buyers and production planners have become managers. With us, everyone is involved and contributes to our customers getting sustainable quality products that suit their needs, whether it is software development, welding or service. We are very proud of our work and this is clear in our Great Place To Work survey when as many as 96% were proud of our products and services.
Sustainability
What difference can I make as an employee? Everything we companies and people do has an impact on the environment. For us, it is important to take an active stand for the environment and minimize our environmental impact. Material is a big part of most industries and sectors and therefore have a major impact on our planet. By developing new sustainable logistics and energy solutions and challenging ourselves in our processes, we can make a big difference. It is important for us and our employees. As a result of a large internal commitment and collaborations with other players, we succeeded in achieving carbon dioxide-neutral production as early as 2019. Since 2021, we have a KRAV-certified lunch restaurant in Mjölby and we have just been certified according to the energy standard ISO 5001.
Student
We at Toyota Material Handling see students as one of our most important investments for the future. Therefore, we offer a number of opportunities for you as a student to get to know our company and deepen your skills during the education.
Internship/On the job training
Toyota Material Handling collaborates with a number of different schools to offer students value-creating internships. We want to help students enter the workforce with a good understanding of what a modern workplace looks like and provide an insight into the different services and opportunities that exist in technology and industry. You apply for the internship via your school
Summer work
Every summer, we offer summer jobs in several areas of expertise such as production, finance, product and software development, and quality. As we can offer a large variety of services, we have opportunities for most students from high school to university and college. Through summer jobs, you as a prospective employee can gain a greater understanding of logistics and products, our customer requirements and our workplace culture.
We would like students in their first years of technical university programs to apply for summer jobs in production in order to apply for more highly qualified summer jobs later on in their education, for example, product and software development.
Toyota Summer Internship
Toyota Summer Internship is an annual team-based project in Mjölby for engineering students who are at the end of their education. The technology area is determined annually by our management teams in product development to match Toyota's technical investments going forward.
The assignment is to, together with three other students, take a project from idea to finished prototype or concept presentation in 6-8 weeks. During the project, you will get to know the company, managers and colleagues.
Toyota Summer Internship is for those who want to try to implement their own development project and are interested in taking a first step towards a job at Toyota.
Master thesis
Every year, we offer several degree projects to students at universities and colleges around Sweden. Degree projects for the spring semester are announced on our career page during October every year. The start of the dissertations takes place at the end of January for civil engineers and at the end of March for university engineers.
We have chosen to mainly place our degree projects in the spring semester, but we make individual exceptions for relevant spontaneous applications. The degree project begins with a joint introductory week where you get to know the company and your colleagues while you receive training in the Toyota Production System and Toyota Way and other relevant areas linked to your degree project. We see our degree projects as a natural start to a career with the company.
Products and technology
At Toyota Material Handling, we develop and produce material handling solutions. We offer our customers a complete range of trucks, material handling solutions and innovative energy solutions.
Internet of Things
Our Research & Development divider has for several years been working to realize the industrial Internet of Things in connected vehicles and we have come a long way. Since 2018, for example, all trucks produced in Mjölby have installed telematics hardware as standard. This allows easy access to all data from the moment the truck is produced. In this way, our customers can easily access and analyse data from their connected vehicles, to understand and improve their business.
Autonomous vehicles
We develop and produce various types of autonomous vehicles for customers worldwide. The variety of products ranges from autonomous vehicles of 1.5 tonnes that handle vertical and horizontal transport to shuttles that work in large-scale scaffolding solutions. Demand for automation in logistics is increasing rapidly for several reasons, mainly because there are opportunities for reduced operating costs and increased efficiency, but also due to a lack of drivers. Today, our employees in R & D are working full time to develop the next generation of automation solutions.
Lithium-ion batteries
As part of our latest innovations, we can now offer a complete Toyota energy solution with our own lithium-ion battery systems. The system provides a better service life, simplified handling and the possibility of efficient recycling for more efficient and sustainable energy solutions.
Service
Our service organization ensures that our trucks and vehicles roll. We are close to our customers and have well-trained service technicians with efficient IT support who like to solve problems. By maximizing the products' availability to our customers and minimizing downtime, we ensure that our equipment exceeds the customer's expectations.
How Toyota Production System ensures high-quality trucks
Working with the Toyota Production System (TPS) gives us the opportunity to produce high-quality products, built to order that are delivered to our customers on time. Our production respects the environment, which means, among other things, that we have a carbon-neutral production in Sweden and that we recycle our products at the end of their service life. Continuous measurement and improvement means constantly improved products, which is reflected in a 70% reduction in the warranty claims made over the past 10 years. We are also committed to creating a safe workplace, both for our employees and our customers.
How Toyota Production System ensures high-quality trucks
- Jidoka: make problems visible
- Kaizen: continuous improvement
- 100 % added value
The origin and culture of Toyota Production System
Toyota Production System was developed by Toyota in the 1950s in response to the lack of financial resources after the war in combination with the ambition to become a world leader in car manufacturing. But the origins of TPS began much earlier. The beginning of the story can be traced back to the 1920s, with the term Jidoka, originally developed by Toyota founder Sakichi Toyoda, as "intelligent automation". It was first used on automatic weaving machines to improve productivity as well as to ensure quality by automatically detecting deviations.
In the 1930s, Kiichiro Toyoda invented the concept of "Just-in-time", as part of his work to create an efficient way to manufacture Toyota cars, when resources were scarce and waste could not be afforded. Just-in-time is based on you getting exactly the right goods (components) to exactly the right place at the right time.
Jidoka and Just-in-time form the two pillars of the Toyota Production System. TPS was considered the distinctive feature that enabled Toyota to recover more quickly from the oil crisis of the 1970s, compared to other car manufacturers. As a result, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology conducted a research study, which resulted in the publication of a book called "The Machine that Changed the World", which recognized TPS as a distinctive feature and the real source of lean thinking. The elimination of Muda (waste) and the ambition to create added value for customers at every stage of the process is the basis of our way of working. This means a Kaizen mentality, focused on continuous improvement and the effort for daily job improvements.