Toyota SA CEO Andrew Kirby reflects on lessons of 2022 floods

Friday, April 12, marked two years since heavy rains battered KwaZulu-Natal, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. Toyota SA Motors (TSAM) president and CEO Andrew Kirby writes that commemorating the 2022 floods preserves collective memory while promoting resilience.

No-one saw it coming. Toyota SA Motors (TSAM) was on course to have one of its most successful years. We had registered our highest-ever sales figures in March 2022, retailing a staggering 15,008 units in just one month.

However, on the night of April 11 2022, a monstrous deluge descended upon Durban and its surrounds, shattering the tranquil darkness with chaos and devastation. The destruction to infrastructure, people’s homes, and the community was horrific. It would later be reported that 448 people lost their lives, 40,000 were displaced, and more than 12,000 houses were destroyed or severely damaged.

Initially, we were optimistic that our Prospecton manufacturing plant on the South Coast would remain unscathed, as early reports on April 12 indicated our operations would not be impacted. Unfortunately, our relief was short-lived as fresh information revealed that the situation at the plant had changed dramatically. According to senior staff on site on the day, “We went from being good-to-run (the plant) to being waist-deep in water and mud in just 45 minutes.”

The mud was between 0.6m and 1.8 metres deep over the entire 87ha site, causing extensive damage to electrical, mechanical and IT equipment, putting the facility out of action for 16 weeks. A senior disaster management executive dispatched by our parent company, Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC), described it as “the most extensive damage to any production facility within Toyota globally”.

One of the first people I messaged with the news when this disaster struck was Akio Toyoda, the president of Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC). His swift reply was not, “How did it happen?” or “How will you prevent it from happening again?”, but rather “How can we help you?”

The assistance from the global Toyota family and related organisations was quick and positive, with an aeroplane full of people, equipment and components. The recovery efforts were initially made more challenging with no electricity, water, sanitation, mobile communication network or IT network.

The commitment to rebuilding the Prospecton site after the floods was incredible. We quickly established our priority sequence with the foremost being the safety and welfare of our employees, then the community around us — including our suppliers and dealers — and lastly the recovery of our operations.

We knew our recovery would not be smooth and there was significant uncertainty about how long it would take. There were times when we thought it would take over eight months to recover and felt very fortunate that we could secure the jobs for all our employees.

To galvanise our employees and all our supporters around our recovery efforts, we created an internal slogan for our recovery ‘Rebuilding Better Together’, which focused us on the critical aspect of working together and utilising every possible opportunity to find silver linings and improvement opportunities.

Reflections on Resilience

April marks two years since the disaster, and I encouraged colleagues at Toyota to reflect on the occasion with a sense of pride and gratitude. While we — as TSAM — were able to miraculously rebuild our plant in four months, the lives of some of the people affected will never be the same. Our thoughts are always with them and their loved ones.

As we reflect, we also remember that our communities, suppliers, dealers as well as government worked together and engaged in widespread acts of altruism that resulted in a heightened sense of solidarity.

This is a reminder that even in times of crisis, unity and solidarity can help overcome even the greatest challenges. At TSAM, the commemoration allows us to reflect on what we learnt and what we shouldn’t forget when times are easier.

This way of saying aligns with the Toyota Global Restart Day, observed annually by Toyota companies on February 24. This pivotal moment in Toyota’s history originates from the resilience shown in overcoming the challenges the organisation faces worldwide.

As we navigate the path forward, we remain steadfast in our commitment to our employees, customers and the communities we serve. We also extend our heartfelt gratitude to our dedicated staff, suppliers, dealers and Toyota sister companies for their unwavering support and tireless efforts in helping us rebuild the plant.

This kind of solidarity and collaboration exemplifies the true spirit of partnerships, and we are immensely grateful for everyone’s invaluable contributions.

While we see ourselves as a forward-thinking organisation, we also know how much we need to learn and improve, and the crisis of April 2022 was a stark reminder of what’s important and the power of teamwork, transparency and humility. Therefore, it is important for TSAM to glance back, for in the rear-view mirror lies the wisdom to take us into a brighter future.

• This article was supplied by Toyota SA Motors.