The Toyota FJ Cruiser: Breaking the Styling Mold

Toyota's FJ Cruiser has been plucked from the auto history books to provide consumers with a car that is retro in design but thoroughly modern in its off road capabilities.

Toyota's growing popularity hasn't been without controversy. No, the automaker doesn't have much of a quality issue to contend with and, no Toyota isn't likely to begin losing market share anytime soon. Yet, there is one area where the Japanese automaker has a bit of a perception problem and that has to do with styling. Of course Toyota vehicles aren't ugly but there are few models being built today that are truly exciting. All that is now beginning to change as Toyota releases several head turning models including the latest rendition of its popular Camry sedan and one of its newest models, the FJ Cruiser. Keep reading and we'll take a glance at just how Toyota is breaking one mold by breaking new ground.

Maybe it was the success of the Nissan Xterra or perhaps it was the desire to recapture past glory [or something in between] but Toyota's decision to build the FJ Cruiser may not have been an easy one. With a line up filled with various trucks and SUVs, the proposed FJ Cruiser would not only be competing against the Jeeps and Land Rovers of the world, but with some of its own models including the car based Highlander and the versatile, truck based 4Runner. Still, the model was thought to stand a chance for two reasons: the FJ Cruiser is a retro-styled vehicle taking its design cues from the FJ40 of the 1960s/1970s and for its 5 passenger seating capacity: just the right sized vehicle that consumers would want to take off roading.

Yes indeed the FJ Cruiser is one beast with an attitude and an effective competitor in a sea of SUVs. For the money, this is what you get with the standard model:

Land Cruiser style and versatility. As the original Land Cruisers were noted for their off road prowess, the FJ Cruiser matches its heralded relative by climbing over rocks, surging up hills, and navigating sandy terrain with relative ease.

Retro styling. Much like Chrysler, Ford and GM which have each successfully introduced and sold retro styled vehicles, the FJ Cruiser's two tone body, restrained roofline, and painted black bumpers effectively combine the old model with the new.

Safety features everywhere. Available as a 4x2 or 4x4, the FJ Cruiser comes with vehicle stability control and vehicle traction control along with ABS, brake assist, and electronic brake force distribution for added stopping capabilities. Add in optional driver and front passenger seat-mounted side airbags and side curtain airbags for front and rear passengers and the FJ Cruiser has riders thoroughly protected.

Dependable engine/transmission. Not to take too much of a risk with this model, Toyota snagged the same 4.0L engine powering the 4Runner and other Toyota trucks of its size and stuck it under the FJ Cruiser's hood. A five speed automatic or six speed manual transmission helps the off roader triumph as it scales rocks or takes steep hills.

The interior of the FJ Cruiser is anything but austere, but it certainly doesn't rise to the level of the overdone Land Cruiser, not a bad thing though. Power windows and door locks, keyless remote entry, and a six speed CD radio are some of the features found in this model. On the outside, 17 inch steel wheels do their part in helping the vehicle tow as much as 5,000 pounds. Whatever you choose not to tow can be stuck inside or carried on top; with the second seat folded down the FJ Cruiser's ample storage area is tops in its class.

Best of all, the base FJ Cruiser retails for just over $21,000 with 4x4 versions selling for about $2,000 more. One drawback reported by consumers is dealer price gouging: some buyers are claiming that dealers are adding four to five thousand dollars to the sticker price of every FJ Cruiser sold.

Finally, if it is fuel efficiency you are seeking the FJ Cruiser just isn't there. Average fuel economy of 20 mpg is not terrible, but it is not great either. Chances are if you are interested in a vehicle like the FJ Cruiser, then fuel economy will be one of your least concerns at least Toyota hopes so.

Truly it appears that Toyota has gotten the styling side of their house in order with this capable retro 4x4 vehicle as evidenced by strong sales in a vehicle segment that has been hit hard by high gasoline prices. Tornado Fuel Saver to quality, wholesale priced Toyota

Kanban Selected by Outokumpu and Wiremold

Outokumpu and Wiremold select e-Kanban by Datacraft Solutions over Fax-kanban companies. Fax-kanban is not efficent and not lean.

Outokumpu and Wiremold select e-Kanban by Datacraft Solutions over Fax-kanban companies. Fax-kanban is not efficent and not lean.

1000% growth in e-kanban services in the past twelve months has North Carolina-based Datacraft Solutions (www.datacraftsolutions.com) poised to capture significant percentage of lean manufacturing organizations business.

According to Sam Bayer, President of Datacraft Solutions, We have seen explosive growth from major manufacturing enterprises with Lean initiatives. From Wiremold to dj Orthopedics to KOYO to Outokumpu, our e-kanban system, Signum, is being used throughout North America.

Fax Kanban is not Efficient and not lean. At ten minutes per fax, someone is spending 3.5 hours per day in administration time. That inefficiency results in less time to utilize more suppliers or improve the relationships with existing suppliers.

Furthermore, even if 99% of those faxes are trouble free procurement signals, four faxes per month are going to be problematic and dilute the entire rationale for a lean manufacturing operation. Suppliers claim they did not receive the fax kanban; suppliers cannot make the shipment date requested and expedited shipping fees are incurred, or worse, there will be a stockout which will negatively impact customer service levels.

Bayer noted, Signum, our electronic kanban system gives manufacturers a heads up to which of those four faxes might be the problem and then frees you up to deal with them because our system has dealt with the other 396 kanban signals with zero effort. Bayer also noted that process improvement with existing suppliers will further reduce lead times and inventory levels and bring more suppliers onto the system.

The leader in e-kanban is Datacraft Solutions. With more than 1000% growth in the past twelve months, Datacraft Solutions anticipates a continued rate of growth throughout 2008.

Datacraft Solutions
www.datacraftsolutions.com
Sam Bayer
e-mail protected from spam bots
919-667-9804

Professional Marketing Firm reaching the Manufacturing Community Worldwide

 

Molding Dreams into Reality, Art to Part in Plastics

 Molding Dreams into Reality, Art to Part in Plastics

by: Steve Koons

Art to Part in Plastics: Molding Dreams into Reality

An introduction to Injection Molding.

Every plastic product you see needs to be shaped, and the most common method is Injection Molding. Most people using their computer to read this give no thought to how all those plastic parts were formed. Or how complex and expensive it is even to produce a ballpoint pen. Just about every part made of plastic these days is formed using some kind of an injection mold, from tiny precision parts that can barely be seen to large automotive exterior parts. Just about every industry relies on some kind of injection mold for their products.

Injection molding is the forcing of molten plastic into a shaping cavity. An injection molding machine has three basic components:

1)Injection. Plastic pellets are fed into a hopper and then heated up. Once they are melted they are injected under extremely high pressure into a mold.
2)Mold. This is a custom designed tool for shaping and cooling the melted plastic. Two halves are precisely designed with cavities for the shaping of the part, channels for cooling the molten plastic, and an ejection system.
3)Clamping. This is the part of the machine that holds the removable mold in place, keeps the two halves together during molding, and opens the mold for part ejection.

Molds are complex and must be of heavy-duty construction since they are subjected to a considerable amount of pressure. They are usually carved/milled out of aluminum or steel blocks and contain many different parts such as the mold base, clamp plates, support plates, ejector plates and pins, guide pins, sprue puller pins, and of course, the two cavities with channels for the molted plastic flow, cooling and/or secondary heating units. The mold is the most expensive part of injection molding, with molds ranging from a few thousand dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Think about that next time you use that cheap plastic pen.

Injection molding started to catch on in the 1920s and was used for simple products such as combs, toothbrushes, and simple industrial parts. As the science of plastics and machining technology grew, molding became an increasingly popular way of manufacturing. With todays computer-controlled milling and molding machines, just about any idea or design can be shaped into plastic.

Ever wonder how they make hollow plastic spheres? Rotational molding is a mold in which after the plastic is injected, it is spun around at high speeds and then quickly cooled. Scissors and screwdrivers are made by insert molding. The metal part is suspended in the mold while the plastic flows around it. How about those plastic bottles and food containers? Those are made by blow molding. There are also other processes such as thermoforming and extrusion.

Injection molding, turning dreams into reality.
For more information and history on Injection Molding, please visit my blog at: http://www.injection-molds.blogspot.com
Steve works for Solinc Co., Ltd, an injection mold design company in South Korea.