ABSTRACT
It is worth spending a few minutes looking at the origins of the Toyoda Spinning and Weaving Company since it was from the proŽts of this company that the Toyota Motor Company was founded. Some of the inventions from the weaving industry were, at the time, revolutionary. Indeed, as recently as 1985, the Japanese Patent O®ce listed Sakichi Toyoda (Toyoda Spinning and Weaving Company’s founder) as one of the ten most important inventors in Japanese history. Figure 3.1 lists “Sakichi’s Patents” for further reference as they contain some interesting concepts. Figure 3.2 is a timeline of signiŽcant events in Sakichi’s life.
