Hino Motors Sales USA, a Toyota group company, announced Wednesday, June 18, the appointment of Sumio Fukaya as president and chief executive officer. Fukaya succeeds Hiroji Kurayama, who had held the position with the Bloomfield, Hills, Mich.-based company since 2005.
Fukaya will oversee the company’s effort to grow its sales, dealer network, manufacturing capabilities and overall presence in the United States. Hino Trucks, emphasizing Toyota’s integrated production practices of genchi genbutsu (“go and see for yourself”) and kaizen (continuous improvement), projects sales of 10,000 units domestically by 2010.
Fukaya brings a wealth of diverse automotive experience to his new position, which became effective April 1. As a 1974 graduate of Toyko’s Waseda University, Fukaya joined Toyota Motor Corp.’s finance and accounting division. In 1983, he transferred to the company’s overseas project planning division, where he concentrated on the Asian market and played a successful role in enhancing Toyota’s local production. An assignment in Indonesia in 1988 helped sharpen his expertise in international business practices.
Upon his return to Tokyo, Fukaya expanded his responsibilities in the company’s global operations. In 2002, he launched Toyota South Africa Ltd. as the subsidiary’s executive vice president and chief financial officer. His success there led to his transfer to Hino Motors Ltd. in 2005, where he was instrumental in Toyota’s global expansion from Asia to Europe, the Middle East and North and South America, with special emphasis on the developing BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) markets.
