Toyota announces major 2027 restructuring, with education and robotics taking centre stage

Toyota will carry out a major organisational reshuffle on 1 January 2027, with plans to strengthen its focus on employee development and expand its robotics business.

Announced on 5 November, the changes include the creation of two new divisions: the Toyota Philosophy and Education Group, which will be headed by chairman Akio Toyoda, and Toyota Robotics, a company-wide division tasked with advancing the development and commercialisation of robotics.

Akio Toyoda

Toyota Philosophy and Education Group

The new Toyota Philosophy and Education Group reflects the company's long-standing belief that manufacturing is ultimately about developing people. Known as monozukuri in Japanese, this philosophy places people, skills and craftsmanship at the heart of the manufacturing process.

Akio Toyoda will personally head the new division, taking responsibility for passing on Toyota's corporate philosophy, technical expertise and the values built up by previous generations. The initiative is intended to ensure that the experience gained through decades of challenges continues to shape the next generation of Toyota employees.

Toyota Robotics

The second major change is the establishment of Toyota Robotics, a new company-wide division that will oversee the group's efforts in robotics.

Toyota sees robotics as an important area of future business, with the aim of developing technology that can respond to changing human needs. The division will be led by Takefumi Shiga, Executive Officer and Chief Production Officer (CPO).

Rather than developing robots to replace human workers, Toyota says it wants them to work alongside people, helping to protect and extend human capabilities.

By drawing on the needs and experience of its manufacturing operations, Toyota Robotics will focus on bringing robotics into practical use and accelerating its commercialisation.

The restructuring highlights two priorities for Toyota's future: preserving the manufacturing expertise that has underpinned the company for decades, while exploring new business opportunities beyond conventional automotive production.

Akio Toyoda's appointment places the emphasis on passing Toyota's philosophy and practical knowledge on to future generations. Meanwhile, the new robotics division gives the company a dedicated structure to develop technologies that could eventually play a bigger role both inside and outside its factories.

Together, the changes reflect Toyota's ambition to build on its manufacturing heritage while preparing for a future in which people and robots work more closely together.

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