TOKYO—Toyota Motor Corp. will begin using Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd.'s teflon hose piping for oil supply lines in the new Hilux light commercial truck, which is fitted with Toyota's GD engines.
According to Yokohama, its teflon hose piping for turbo-diesel engines reduces the steps and man hours needed to mount the lines. The compact design of most new engines can make mounting oil lines difficult, the company said, but the Yokohama-designed hoses are flexible, allowing for more simple installation.
Yokohama Rubber began manufacturing the teflon hose piping at its Nagano, Japan, plant in February 2015, and it transferred production to Yokohama Rubber (Thailand) Co. Ltd., in January of this year.
In order to meet quality requirements, Yokohama Rubber said it separated manufacturing processes and redesigned a production line, enabling it to produce one product at a time. The company also it developed jigs to simplify product testing, reducing the time required to produce a finished product.
Toyota is manufacturing GD engines at a plant in Thailand and plans to use the engine in cars sold in more than 150 countries and regions by 2020.