Automotive company Toyota South Africa’s Toyota South Africa Educational Trust last month commemorated its new, expanded Toyota Wessels Institute for Manufacturing Studies (TWIMS) and Toyota Teach facilities at its Kloof campus, in KwaZulu-Natal.

The Educational Trust is the foundation that was established by Toyota South Africa and the late Dr Albert Wessels, who founded the company.

Speaking to Engineering News at the launch of the expanded facilities, on August 28, Toyota South Africa CEO Andrew Kirby said the expansion was “a very positive step”, enhancing the Educational Trust’s capacities and enabling it to bolster its impact.

The TWIMS campus is located in the historic Crowhurst Manor, in Kloof, KwaZulu-Natal.

The first phase of TWIMS entailed buying part of the land in 2018 and converting the manor into a manufacturing campus that encompasses educational cluster facilities, sandboxes, computer facilities, a technology centre, a resource centre, a library, offices, an 80-seater auditorium, accommodation for students and academics, conference facilities, a dining room, a student lounge, a coffee shop, a running track, an exercise facility, gardens and a pool.

As a protected heritage building, the exterior of the original manor house was left intact in the conversion to TWIMS, while the features alluded to above were incorporated into the historical sections.

TWIMS became operational in 2019.

Kirby said that since the launch of Phase 1, the intention had always been to expand TWIMS when feasible, to fulfil the long-term vision of developing manufacturing executives who are passionate about industrialisation and creating entrepreneurs that have a vision for manufacturing in the country and the continent.

Moreover, some Toyota Teach activities were being undertaken at the TWIMS campus, and while there was some overlap between the two, the former required its own space to properly undertake its academic activities, Kirby explained.

Therefore, an additional 2.5 ha of the land was bought to expand TWIMS’ facilities and create the new Toyota Teach facilities.

Kirby said that over R130-million had now been spent on the facility overall, with R55-million invested in the first phase and R75-milion on the second.

Development on Phase 2 started at the end of last year, and the new facilities were recently opened.

It constitutes two new buildings, the Toyota Wessels conference centre and the Toyota Teach building, as well as increased parking space.

There is still ongoing work on a recreational area, which will support on-site breakaways and team-building activities, with this slated for completion by the end of September.

Moreover, in the future, when funding allows, the company will look to provide more accommodation on site for visiting lecturers and students, with the design accommodating for this.

The new facilities are modern, in contrast to the original TWIMS facilities, having been built from the foundation. Kirby says it integrates seamlessly with the manor, which is located directly next to it, enabling easy access. 

TWIMS

TWIMS is a boutique business school, specialising in manufacturing, which aims to develop management capabilities to drive African industrialisation.

Through a partnership with the University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), it offered a master’s in business administration (MBA) and a postgraduate diploma in business administration (PGDip). It also offered a range of manufacturing-focused courses, with the aim to expand this over time, Kirby informed.

The new conference centre for TWIMS constitutes a larger auditorium, breakaway rooms, a dining hall and bathrooms.

Kirby pointed out that the auditorium boasted enhanced acoustics and high-quality audio-visual technology.

He said the hope was that the centre would also be used as a regional conference centre for the industry.

TWIMS aimed to provide a platform for students to learn about new advanced technologies, lean manufacturing operations, trade in Africa and green manufacturing, among others, Kirby outlined.

He also highlighted its academic achievements. Despite only constituting about 10% of GIBS graduates, TWIMS had had a student win one of the top achievers awards every year, Kirby pointed out.

Moreover, in its six years, it had produced three top students in the PGDip course and one in the MBA course, while two students won top researchers in their final year of MBA. Kirby also indicated that the average results from TWIMS were very high.

Kirby also mentioned that TWIMS offered a Manufacturing Ambassador Scholarship, to about 15 students yearly who could not afford the full fee, both in South Africa and recently expanding this to other African countries as well.

This had already supported 72 students, he highlighted.

Kirby informed that TWIMS was looking to bolster its student numbers, with the country currently experiencing a challenge of a lack of awareness and interest in industrialisation and manufacturing. 

TOYOTA TEACH

This is a nonprofit teacher training and school rehabilitation programme started by the Educational Trust in 1992, with the vision to support the development of leadership and teachers in primary schools, especially in underdeveloped areas where quality of learning experience is compromised.

Kirby highlighted that the programme had enhanced its partnership with different schools over time. It works with an average of about four schools at a time, supporting teachers with literature and training materials and providing them with mentorship on proper teaching methods for language, science and mathematics.

Mentors visit schools on a weekly basis, and discern where there are gaps and find ways to enhance the teaching experience so that students can receive an improved quality of education.

Teachers and leaders also attend periodic workshops, which will now be undertaken at the new Toyota Teach facilities. Teachers from the specific schools will be transported to the new facility and trained there.

The Toyota Teach facility encompasses the Cfao South Africa science and computer facility, training rooms, an office for the Toyota Teach staff, bathrooms and a kitchenette.

Cfao South Africa delivers a range of integrated mobility solutions across the automotive value chain and is one of several sponsors.