Toyota Industries
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA Toyota Group industrial manufacturer whose businesses span material-handling equipment, automotive components, engines, compressors, logistics solutions, and textile machinery. Japanese manufacturer of textile machinery, materials handling equipment, automobiles and automobile parts, founded in 1926.
Last updated October 14, 2026
Overview
Toyota Industries Corporation is a Japanese industrial manufacturer and the founding company of the Toyota Group. Established in 1926 as Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, it commercialized and produced automatic looms developed from Sakichi Toyoda's inventions. The company later became the industrial and corporate ancestor of Toyota Motor Corporation, while developing its own business portfolio in machinery, automotive components, engines, compressors, logistics, and material handling. Its historical importance extends beyond textile equipment. In the 1930s, the company entered automotive manufacturing and established an automobile department that was separated in 1937 as Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. Although Toyota Motor subsequently became the better-known company, Toyota Industries remained an independent listed manufacturer and continued to supply equipment and components to the wider Toyota ecosystem as well as to external customers. The company's modern business is organized around several major areas. Its materials-handling operation produces forklifts, warehouse equipment, towing tractors, automated systems, and related services. Toyota Industries became a global force in this sector through organic expansion and acquisitions, including the purchase of BT Industries in 2000 and the subsequent development of the Toyota Material Handling brand. Its equipment is used in factories, distribution centers, ports, retail warehouses, and other logistics environments. Toyota Industries is also a major automotive supplier. Its products include vehicle air-conditioning compressors, engines, electronic and electrical components, and other systems. The company has manufactured diesel and gasoline engines for Toyota vehicles and industrial applications, and its compressor business serves automobile manufacturers internationally. Through its logistics division, it also provides transport, warehousing, distribution, and supply-chain services, including operations associated with Toyota's logistics network. Textile machinery remains part of the company's identity and product portfolio. The business supplies spinning and weaving equipment, including machinery used by textile producers around the world. This continuing connection to its original technology distinguishes Toyota Industries from Toyota Motor and illustrates the group's development from a loom manufacturer into a diversified industrial enterprise. Toyota Industries is headquartered in Kariya, Aichi Prefecture, and is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. It operates through subsidiaries and manufacturing or service activities across Japan and overseas. Its strategic themes have included automation, electrification, energy efficiency, digital logistics, and the integration of industrial equipment with software and service offerings. The company has also faced regulatory and governance scrutiny over certification and testing irregularities involving certain engines and industrial products. These issues led to shipment suspensions, investigations, and corrective actions, but the company remains active as a major Toyota Group industrial business.
History
Toyota Industries began with Sakichi Toyoda's work on textile machinery. Sakichi developed a series of looms designed to improve productivity and reduce defects, culminating in automatic loom technology. To commercialize these inventions, Toyoda Automatic Loom Works was established in 1926 in what is now Aichi Prefecture. The enterprise became the foundation of the Toyota Group and retained textile machinery as one of its core technical traditions. The company entered the automobile field during the 1930s. An automobile department was created within Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, and the company developed engines and vehicles as Japan's automotive industry began to expand. In 1937, the automobile operation became Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. This separation made Toyota Industries the parent and historical predecessor of Toyota Motor, although the two companies thereafter operated as separate listed corporations with close commercial and ownership ties. After the Second World War, Toyota Industries rebuilt and broadened its manufacturing base. It continued producing textile machinery while developing engines, compressors, and automotive components. The company became an important supplier to Toyota Motor and other vehicle manufacturers, particularly in engine production and vehicle air-conditioning compressors. Its engineering capabilities also supported diversification into industrial machinery and equipment. Material handling became a central growth area. Toyota Industries built a forklift business in Japan and expanded internationally through the Toyota Material Handling organization. The acquisition of BT Industries in 2000 substantially increased its European presence and added a broader portfolio of warehouse and logistics equipment. Subsequent operations have included counterbalance forklifts, warehouse trucks, towing tractors, automated storage and retrieval systems, fleet-management technologies, and after-sales services. The company also developed a substantial logistics business. Its subsidiaries and affiliates provide transportation, warehousing, distribution, and supply-chain services for industrial and commercial customers. This area complements its equipment businesses by linking physical handling products with fleet management, warehouse automation, and operational services. In the automotive and powertrain fields, Toyota Industries has manufactured diesel and gasoline engines, air-conditioning compressors, and electrical or electronic systems. Its engine operations have served Toyota vehicle programs and industrial applications. The compressor business has been internationally significant because automotive air-conditioning systems require high-volume, technically precise components across passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles. Textile machinery remained an active business rather than merely a historical legacy. Toyota Industries has supplied spinning and weaving equipment to textile manufacturers in Japan and international markets, preserving a connection to the technology that created the company. The combination of textile machinery, automotive components, engines, compressors, logistics, and forklifts has made Toyota Industries more diversified than its name alone suggests. In the twenty-first century, the company has emphasized automation, electrification, energy efficiency, connected equipment, and logistics productivity. Its material-handling operations have increasingly incorporated battery-electric vehicles, warehouse automation, telematics, and software. At the same time, the company has remained closely integrated with Toyota Group manufacturing and supply chains while serving customers outside the group. The company encountered a major governance and compliance issue in 2024 when it disclosed improper horsepower-output testing procedures for certain engines. The disclosure led to shipment suspensions, regulatory investigations, and corrective measures involving affected products. The episode demonstrated the regulatory risks associated with certification data and prompted renewed attention to internal controls. Despite this setback, Toyota Industries continues to operate as a publicly listed Japanese industrial manufacturer with a global presence.
- 2024
Engine certification irregularities are disclosed
[3]Toyota Industries reports improper horsepower-output testing procedures affecting certain engines, resulting in shipment suspensions and government investigations.
- 2000
BT Industries is acquired
[1]The acquisition of BT Industries expands the company's international material-handling operations and strengthens its warehouse-equipment portfolio.
- 1967
Automotive air-conditioning compressor production begins
[1]Toyota Industries enters automotive compressor production, eventually developing one of its most important global automotive-component businesses.
- 1937
Toyota Motor becomes a separate company
[1]The automobile operation is separated to form Toyota Motor Co., Ltd., making Toyota Industries the historical predecessor and founding company of Toyota Motor.
- 1933
Automobile department is created
[1]The company establishes an automobile department, beginning the development of engines and vehicles within the loom business.
- 1929
Spinning frame production starts and automatic loom patent is sold to Platt Brothers
[6]Spinning frame production begins, and the automatic loom patent is sold to Platt Brothers & Co., Ltd. of the UK.
- 1927
Kariya plant is completed and starts operations
[6]The Kariya plant is completed and begins operations.
- 1926
Toyoda Automatic Loom Works is established
[1]Sakichi Toyoda's textile-machinery enterprise is incorporated, creating the company that later becomes Toyota Industries and the foundation of the Toyota Group. Sakichi Toyoda's textile-machinery enterprise is incorporated as Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, Ltd. to manufacture and market his automatic loom, creating the company that later becomes Toyota Industries and the foundation of the Toyota Group.
- 1924
Toyoda Automatic Loom, Type G, is invented
[6]Sakichi Toyoda invents the Toyoda Automatic Loom, Type G, featuring non-stop shuttle-change motion.
- 1906
Circular Loom is invented
[6]Sakichi Toyoda invents the Circular Loom.
Showing the 10 most recent.
Products and positioning
A diversified Toyota Group industrial platform combining global material-handling equipment, automotive component manufacturing, logistics services, engines, compressors, and textile machinery.
Material-handling equipment
Toyota Material Handling forklifts
Toyota Industries' material-handling business produces counterbalance forklifts, warehouse trucks, towing tractors, and related equipment for manufacturing, distribution, retail, ports, and other industrial environments. The portfolio includes internal-combustion and electric models, with increasing emphasis on batteries, automation, telematics, safety systems, and fleet-management services. Products are marketed through Toyota Material Handling organizations and regional distributors.
Warehouse automation
Automated logistics systems
The company supplies warehouse and logistics systems designed to move, store, retrieve, and manage goods with less manual handling. Offerings can include automated storage and retrieval equipment, conveyor and sorting systems, software, fleet control, and integrated solutions for distribution centers. These systems extend the company's role from forklift manufacturing into broader warehouse productivity and automation.
Automotive components · 1967
Automotive air-conditioning compressors
Toyota Industries manufactures compressors for automotive air-conditioning systems. The business serves passenger cars and commercial vehicles and has developed products for conventional, hybrid, and electric-vehicle applications. Compressor technology is one of the company's principal automotive-component activities and is supplied to Toyota and other vehicle manufacturers in international markets.
Engines and powertrain components
Automotive and industrial engines
Toyota Industries has produced diesel and gasoline engines for Toyota vehicles and industrial uses. Its powertrain operations have included engine assembly, machining, and related components. Certain engine models became the subject of certification-testing irregularities disclosed in 2024, after which affected shipments were suspended while investigations and corrective actions proceeded.
Textile machinery · 1926
Textile machinery
Textile machinery is the company's original business and remains part of its operating portfolio. Toyota Industries supplies equipment for spinning and weaving, drawing on engineering capabilities developed from Sakichi Toyoda's automatic-loom inventions. The business serves textile producers in Japan and overseas and provides a direct link to the company's origins.
Supply-chain services
Logistics services
Through group companies and related operations, Toyota Industries provides transportation, warehousing, distribution, and other supply-chain services. The business complements its material-handling products and supports customers seeking integrated logistics operations, equipment, automation, and fleet or warehouse management.
Controversies
2024
Engine horsepower certification-testing irregularities
Toyota Industries acknowledged that horsepower-output testing for certain automotive and industrial diesel engines had not followed the prescribed certification procedures. The issue affected engines supplied for Toyota vehicles and other applications. Shipments of affected engines were suspended, Japanese authorities investigated, and the company announced corrective and governance measures.
Brand decisions
2024
Suspend shipments of engines affected by certification issueOtherBackground
Internal investigations found that certain engine horsepower tests had been conducted using improper procedures, creating a certification and regulatory-compliance issue.
Action taken
Toyota Industries suspended shipments of affected engines, cooperated with authorities, investigated the scope of the issue, and pursued corrective measures.
Aftermath
The disclosure caused production and delivery disruption for affected applications and increased scrutiny of testing controls and governance within the company and the wider Toyota Group.
2000
Acquire BT IndustriesM&ABackground
Toyota Industries sought to accelerate its international expansion in forklifts and warehouse equipment.
Action taken
The company acquired BT Industries, a Swedish material-handling-equipment manufacturer.
Aftermath
The transaction strengthened Toyota Industries' European presence and broadened the global platform that became associated with Toyota Material Handling.
1937
Separate the automobile department into Toyota MotorStrategyBackground
The company's automobile-development activity had grown beyond the original textile-machinery business and required a dedicated automotive corporate structure.
Action taken
The automobile department was separated to establish Toyota Motor Co., Ltd., while the original company continued as an industrial and textile-machinery manufacturer.
Aftermath
The separation created the corporate foundation of Toyota Motor and left Toyota Industries as an independent Toyota Group company and major industrial supplier.
Recent events
- 2000
Toyota Industries expands global material-handling and logistics capabilities[1]
M&A
The acquisition of Sweden-based BT Industries strengthened Toyota Industries' position in forklifts, warehouse equipment, and European material-handling markets, supporting the development of its global Toyota Material Handling business.
Sources10 sources
- 1Toyota Industries Corporation official corporate historytoyota-industries.com
- 2Toyota Industries Corporation official websitetoyota-industries.com
- 3Toyota Industries Corporation official newstoyota-industries.com
- 4Toyota Industries Corporation annual reports and financial informationtoyota-industries.com
- 5Toyota Industriesen.wikipedia.org
- 6History 1867 - | Toyota Industries Corporationtoyota-industries.com
- 7Corporate Profile | Toyota Industries Corporationtoyota-industries.com
- 8Corporate Philosophy, Vision 2030 | Toyota Industries Corporationtoyota-industries.com
- 9https://www.toyota-industries.comtoyota-industries.com
- 10Japan transport ministry orders corrective action over Toyota Industries engine testingmlit.go.jp
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