Toyota Tsusho eyeing Sri Lanka as a potential market for its products
View(s):Toyota Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, the sole authorised distributor for Toyota vehicles in Sri Lanka, recently sent a team of high-profile visitors from its parent company to visit Sri Lanka to assess the market potential.
Jun Karube and Hideki Yanase at the opening of the Supra Game Zone.
Jun Karube, Chairman of the Board at Toyota Tsusho Corporation, Japan and President of Toyota Tsusho Asia Pacific Pte Ltd (TTAP), Singapore Hideki Yanase were in the visiting group.
Toyota Tsusho Company (TTC) established in 1948 is the main general trading company of the Toyota Group. Apart from the automotive industry, TTC has also ventured out in to the areas of non-automotive businesses like metals, infrastructure, chemicals, food, machinery and energy.
Since 2010 the company expanded the scope and honed the capabilities of existing businesses while accelerating investments in new business fields, such as Bluefin tuna aquaculture and overseas hospital management. TTC has also expanded to over 120 countries, 150 offices and 900 subsidiaries and affiliates around the world, the company said in a media release issued in Colombo.
Mr. Karube and Mr. Yanase along with members of the team visited the Toyota Lanka Head Office in Wattala and also the two branch offices in Ratmalana and Negombo during their stay.
They also visited the Colombo Dockyard to discuss the progress of the Colombo Dockyard Project where two vessels, the Pilot Station Vessel and Buoy Tender Vessel to be used in Iraq are being built on behalf of TTC.
This project alone is bringing in an investment of Rs. 8 billion to Sri Lanka. Their itinerary also included visits to supermarkets, department stores and shopping malls to assess the market potential for future projects and investments in Sri Lanka.
“Toyota Lanka despite being operated in a small island like Sri Lanka has set a benchmark through the processes and business models they have followed. Their model is now taken as an example around the world to be used as a pathway for betterment of businesses,” said Mr. Karube. The delegation was also involved in several openings like the “Supra” Game Zone and Café Mirai by Momo at the Toyota Plaza premises.