Toyota Industries combines autonomous vehicle tech under new T-Hive brand

Based in Holland and dedicated to control systems for automated forklifts and AMRs

Toyota Group’s manufacturing arm, Toyota Industries Corporation (TICO), is bringing together all of its self-driving vehicle software projects in a new division called T-Hive.

The venture will combine products from a number of businesses within TICO, including Toyota L&F, Toyota Material Handling, Toyota Material Handling Europe, Raymond, Bastian Solutions, and Vanderlande.

The organization will be led by Léon Jansen, with headquarters in Ede, The Netherlands.

Bundle benefits

Toyota said the combined portfolio will enable TICO customers “to enjoy the seamless movement, storage, and distribution of goods throughout their entire supply chains.”

TICO’s senior executive officer, Yojiro Mizuno, added, “Our strong customer organizations support such developments while managing smooth project implementation on the customer side.”

Toyota said increased demand for autonomous vehicles, labor shortages, and the rapid growth of the e-commerce market were among the reasons for its decision to establish T-Hive.

The new company will focus on providing autonomous vehicle control systems for automated guided forklifts (AGFs) and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). In 2020, TICO ranked as the world's largest manufacturer of forklift trucks, as measured by revenues.

Established on April 1, T-Hive holds an initial €5 million ($6 million) in capital.

“Due to the increasing demand for software development in all industries, securing talents is also becoming a global challenge. T-Hive will create opportunities for us to work together across the Toyota Industries Group network,” Norio Wakabayashi, CEO at TICO, said.

“This decision highlights TICO's commitment to remaining a leading player in the AV business and its investments accordingly."