Fuso invited us to their facility in Kawasaki, Japan. Here, they have a General Assembly shop and an Engine and Axle shop. They said their General Assembly can put out 70 plus heavy-duty trucks in a day, or 200 light duty trucks. It’s significantly lower than a Chinese truck factory I visited recently where they can churn out 300 heavy duty trucks in a day. The reason for that difference is Fuso’s persistence for a human touch.

Of course, they have automated robots and power tools, but humans still have the last touch. You can see their mechanics use it in assembling an engine, but then move to a simple wrench for the last tightening of bolts.

Even their final inspection isn’t a simple visual check. They utilize a small hammer and hit all the crucial joints in the chassis. According to our guide, these inspectors can determine if something is wrong just from the note produced when the metal is hit. The engine also gets this aural check with its quick dyno run at the end.

Usually this is the end of a brand’s Quality Control. Fuso goes beyond this though with what they call Quality Management. This starts with a monitoring system for all trucks they’ve sold—at least in Japan. Here, they can see which truck is traversing where, at what speed, and altitude among others. If a truck breaks down, they can send help immediately even before the driver calls a dealership. They can also go back in time to see the driver’s driving score and behavior prior to the breakdown or accident.

What is beneficial to all of Fuso’s markets is their laboratory facility dedicated to testing parts that have broken down or are newly supplied. Failed parts will be sent to them for analysis together with the monitoring system. They use cutting-edge equipment to see these parts at more than 500x magnification just to see their composition and if there is contamination. This will help them determine why and how the part failed, so they can establish a solution for that part moving forward.

As for new parts, they also go through scrutiny. Random samples will be picked from the factory and will be tested in different ways. One of which is the corrosion test where it will go through simulated rains to determine its robustness in extreme weather conditions.

This rigorous checking also applies to the development of their new products. Quality Management is done at every stage, even from the design phase, to make a truck that will truly be competitive in the market.