r e v e a l s t h at it i s t he s e c u r it y c onc e p t
that won him the Next Generation
competition that he has been looking
into. “We’ve been trying to take some
of the underlying concepts from
that and implement them across
the business in the UK,” he says.
Toyota has been a pioneer of
hybrid technology since the launch
of its Prius in 1997, so Campbell is
in a brilliant place to get a broader
understanding of the direction in
which the industry is moving. When
probed about whether hybrid and
electric technology excites him as
much as petrol fumes and greasy
valves, he says: “Although we are
mov i n g aw ay f r om t he i nt e r n a l
combustion engine and towards full
EV and hybrid technologies, I think
it is incredibly important to embrace
the new and all of the engineering
possibilities that will arise from these
industry-wide changes.”
So given Campbell’s growing
experience, an eye on the future
Toyo t a U K p r o d u ce d 1 2 9, 0 0 0 c a r s a n d
345,000 engines in 2018. To maintain
such impressive production numbers,
the British branch of the Japanese
marque must continue to invest – with
its future dependent on bringing
young blood into the business.
“We are committed to ensuring
that young people understand the
importance of manufacturing and
engineering in the UK, both for the
future of TMUK’s workforce, but
also for the diverse range of careers
in the UK manufacturing sector,”
a spokesman told Autocar. “Young
people in our organisation are
critical to the long-term strategy,
development and sustainability of our
activities at Toyota.”
The company places a “strong
emphasis” on ‘genchi genbutsu’, a
Japanese philosophy that translates
as ‘go and see for yourself’: first-hand
experience is vital. No wonder Toyota
supports the Autocar-Courland Next
Generation Award. “To be able to offer
that opportunity to a student who
has an interest in automotive, to
see classroom theory put into
practice, is really important to us,”
added the spokesman.
In short, as the future of car
manufacturing in the UK faces critical
challenges, Toyota believes that
“raising aspirations and perceptions
of UK industry is key to securing
the talent of the future to give UK
manufacturing long-term prosperity”.
We couldn’t agree more.
WHY TOYOTA CARES ABOUT YOUNG TALENT
TOYOTA (GB) PLC
`
There are going to be so many
opportunities for young engineers
a
and his eagerness to get stuck in, we
ask him what he’d say to any young
aspiring engineers hoping to follow
in his footsteps.
“I would say just throw yourself
into it and take every opportunity
you can get,” he replies.
“When I got to McLaren, I knew
nothing about electronics, but I
went in there and then I walked
away confident and excited about
all the opportunities in that area.
T he r e ’s s o muc h c h a n g i n g w it h i n
the industry that in five years there
are going to be so many opportunities
for young engineers, especially in
the UK, so I would urge anybody to
just go for it.”
Next month, Campbell will be
spending time with engineering firm
Hor i ba M I R A , fe at u r e d i n l a s t w e e k ’s
issue, where he’ll once again get the
opportunity to get his hands dirty.
We’ll see him there. L