Toyota visits fuel engineering students’ drive for success
Level 3 Engineering learners from Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor went to Toyota’s Deeside plant to see first-hand how the 5th generation hybrid engine is built
Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor engineering students saw how greener cars are being built in a series of visits to Toyota’s Deeside plant.
Learners on the Level 3 Enhanced Engineering course at Pwllheli and Dolgellau were taken on a tour behind the scenes at Toyota Manufacturing United Kingdom (TMUK).
Toyota’s Tim Elson, Aaron Lambert and Charlotte Bell took them on a journey through the plant that manufactures the 5th generation hybrid engine, which is shipped all over the world from North Wales.
The learners gained first-hand experience of how a modern factory assembles such a high-performance and fuel-efficient engine, and how Toyota is driving sustainable automotive innovation.
Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor engineering lecturer Emlyn Evans said: “We are extremely grateful to Tim, Aron and Charlotte and supporting staff from Toyota UK Deeside for their planning and preparation for all the visits we carried out this year.
“Tim, Aaron and Charlotte made the visits engaging and interesting for our learners, and our learners have gained a great deal.”
Students were able to see how Toyota uses lean manufacturing to optimise production efficiency and minimise waste - complementing the modern manufacturing systems unit studied in the second and final year of their course at Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor.
Second-year learners were tasked with putting their lean manufacturing skills into action in a STEM activity organised by Tim and Aron of Toyota, while first-years gained a real-world insight to set them up for their final year of study.
In a bonus activity during their visit, the first-year learners also took to the track at Apex Karting Chester, putting the pedal to the metal in pursuit of the fastest lap of the day and the bragging rights of beating their lecturer.
Emlyn added: “Toyota is renowned for their leading role in the field of sustainable automotive innovation and their pursuit for perfection, problem-solving, continuous improvement and lean manufacturing - topics covered in the Modern Manufacturing Systems unit in year two of the course.
“Our second-year students have gained valuable experience that will set them up for success in their final assignment, in which they will need to present and teach three lean tools in an interactive and engaging way to their peers. The visits will also prepare our first-year learners for the next academic year.”
To learn more about the Level 3 and Level 4 Engineering courses at Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor, click here. Alternatively, contact Emlyn Evans directly via evans12e@gllm.ac.uk