26,000 Certifications
Quality doesn't come easy. Within the Tahara plant alone, there are 26,000 separate tasks that can be certified as done correctly. Each of these tasks must be accurately demonstrated and described in painstaking detail by a craftsman to receive certification. How much detail? Consider this: There's a 14-minute film on how to place a grommet correctly—a task that takes a mere two seconds [1].
Eye For Color
Imagine 15 small vials of paint. All of them red. Each vial a slightly different hue. To help our craftsmen's eyes become more attuned to slight variations in color, they practice arranging vials like these in descending order of hue. Again and again. Over time, this practice better equips them to immediately spot and correct for the slightest color inconsistencies between body panels [1].
Counting By Hand
Without looking, a Lexus craftsman must be able to reach into a bowl of bolts and pull out exactly five of them. It's a way to help tune the sense of touch in every hand along the assembly line. To see by feeling. To know that something is exactly as it should be just by holding it in your hand. So that every part of a Lexus will not only look precisely right, but also feel so [1].
Factory Conditioning
The human hand can often be the most important tool on the assembly line. To help it perform to its potential, Lexus developed a latex disc that gives each finger its own workout. Craftsmen place their fingers in an elastic webbing and squeeze and rotate their hands to strengthen their fingers and wrists. This daily exercise helps a great deal with fatigue, which in turn allows each craftsman to be much more consistent through a given shift [1].
Behind The RX
See how attention to detail, advanced technologies and rigorous testing combine to create the best-selling Luxury Utility Vehicle in the United States. Learn what makes the RX LUV a Lexus in the Discovery Channel "Factory Made" program [1]. [See video]
Single Source Of Wood
In many Lexus vehicles, the center console and side panels are crafted from a single piece of wood that contributes to an exceptional interior [1]. [See video]
Not A Speck Of Dust
Prior to entering the engine manufacturing area, engineers are given high-powered air showers in an enclosed room with adhesive-coated walls. Learn how this extreme measure leads to high-quality engines [1]. [See video]
Details Behind The Details
On the ES, there are hundreds of measures taken to help prevent imperfections like unwanted sound and vibration. Learn more about the quality thinking you'll find in every ES [1]. [See video]
Deeper Under The Hood
A CT scanner at a car manufacturing plant? We admit it sounds strange at first, but when you understand the role it plays in the development of a Lexus vehicle, you just might change your mind. Learn how this ingenious machine helps build durability and improves quality [1]. [See video]
A Remarkable Eye For Detail
When it comes to building a Lexus, no detail is too small. That's why our vehicles go through some of the harshest scrutiny known to automobile manufacturers. Learn how this sort of attention to detail results in some of the most advanced vehicles on the road today [1]. [See video]
Under The Lights
Before a vehicle is cleared to leave the Tahara factory, it is meticulously analyzed under intense light for any slight inconsistency or flaw. It is then moved under an array of red, blue and green lights, carefully arranged to mimic the entire spectrum of light it will be subjected to out in the real world, and then inspected again [1].
The Finest Leather
To ensure the leather in your Lexus is of the highest quality, nearly a dozen tests are administered beforehand. To name just a few: It's forced to endure a blow torch; frozen to 40-below and prodded to test for cracking; repeatedly folded and poked by machine then analyzed for creases and punctures; and subjected to a simulation of a decade's worth of ultraviolet rays in four weeks [1].
The Track Test
There are numerous measures taken during the manufacture of the LS to ensure it's of the highest quality. Like starting and analyzing every engine before placing it under the hood. And hand-sanding the body twice during the painting process. But no measure is as rare for a production vehicle as this: Upon leaving the assembly line, every LS is driven by a team of experts to ensure the engine produces precisely the right sound, feel and, more importantly, drive [1].
