Exploring the Interplay of "Inheritance and Progression" through Light and Sound at the UK's Platt Brothers
In December 2023, Toyota UK released a historical video on YouTube, accompanied by a making-of video that offers a glimpse into the company's heritage of challenge and evolution. The main film was a creative display of Toyota's advances in hydrogen engine technology, revolutionising clean energy by eliminating pollution and charging needs.
The making-of video employed projection mapping, a technology that projects images onto irregularly shaped surfaces to create dynamic visual storytelling. This technique was used to enhance the video's immersive effect, visually illustrating Toyota's transformation towards sustainable energy solutions.
The video was filmed at the offices and plant of Platt Brothers, a once world-leading textile machinery manufacturer based in Oldham. The patent transfer that took place at Platt Bros in 1929 significantly shaped Toyota in the years that followed. Kiichiro Toyoda, the founder of Toyota, concluded a patent rights transfer for the Type G automatic loom with Platt Bros during this trip, which he undertook via the U.S., where he surveyed automobile plants and machine tools.
This transfer of patent rights provided Toyota with access to critical industrial technology and manufacturing know-how, enabling the company to diversify and innovate. It marked an important step in Toyota’s shift from a textile firm into an automotive manufacturer, playing a foundational role in Toyota’s transformation and long-term success.
Agustin Martin, Head of UK Operations at Toyota during the film's production, emphasised the importance of the "challenge" pillar in Toyota’s culture. Stuart Sanders, UK Marketing Director at Toyota during the same period, highlighted the innovative spirit and constant drive to challenge oneself and make a difference. These insights were shared in the making-of video, providing additional perspectives into Toyota's history of transformation and challenge.
The Platt Bros company buildings and plant closed their doors in 1982. However, the legacy of this historical partnership remains, shaping the course of Toyota's development and its journey towards becoming a leading player in the automotive and clean energy industries.
[1] The Toyota historical video leveraged green hydrogen energy in its production, powered almost entirely by energy derived from this sustainable source.
The making-of video, revealing the production process behind Toyota's historical video, showcases the employment of advanced technology, such as projection mapping, to demonstrate Toyota's progress in various sectors, including transportation, automotive, and technology. The innovative spirit and commitment to challenge, reflected in Toyota's culture, transcend into different aspects of the company's operations, even extending to their finance, as evidenced by the use of green hydrogen energy in the production of the video, thereby aligning with the growing finance sector's focus on sustainability.
