Vietnam! Moving Ahead Together | TOTO Delivers Schools to Rural Children as Japanese Toilet Culture Gains Popularity
TOTO has been instrumental in bringing Japanese toilet culture to the world, but its corporate culture of kindness has delivered a whole lot more.
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"I never imagined I could help children attending rural schools through my work at this company. I feel incredibly happy." The passion of Ms Hai, who heads up the labor union at TOTO Vietnam, came through clearly even through the online platform. I was virtually attending a press briefing about the TOTO Group's social contribution activities. Ms Hai's words left me with a lasting impression.
Vietnam is a country experiencing rapid economic development. That is why growth rates compared to the same month of the previous year are always a central topic at management meetings. I've heard of executives at leading IT companies, a key industry in Vietnam, that achieved a 200% increase in quotas for three years straight. But they were let go when the goal was not reached in the fourth year.
I was acquainted with one of these executives, so I couldn't believe my ears when I heard her news. At the same time, I understood it was a likely occurrence in today's Vietnam. The country's momentum is directly connected to Vietnam's appetite for growth, driven by the pursuit of profit.
In a society where such a perspective is taken for granted, TOTO Vietnam engages in volunteer initiatives to renovate and build schools in declining rural areas.
Fulfilling a Girl's Dream
Nearly 50 years have passed since the end of the Vietnam War. While industry is booming, schools in impoverished villages in remote areas of Vietnam have been deteriorating due to a lack of maintenance funds.
In some schools, pillars have been eaten away by termites bringing buildings to the verge of collapse. Classrooms are unprotected from rain and wind. Distance from schools and hunger and poverty are other reasons that children cannot attend school. The situation is dire.
TOTO Vietnam has been steadily engaged in volunteer activities to support schools, including donating school supplies and winter coats. But it was in 2016 that the company encountered a girl who dreamed of going to school but couldn't.
"I want to go to school and study to become a teacher." These were her words.
From that time, TOTO Vietnam began to firmly focus its social contribution activities on education. With the cooperation of partner companies, it began building schools in 2017. To date, 15 schools have been built, realizing the dreams of over 2,000 children.
TOTO Corporate Philosophy Carries On
Established in 1917, TOTO boasts a corporate history of over 100 years. With business operations already spanning 18 countries and regions worldwide, total global shipments of Washlet toilet seats have surpassed 60 million units.
It's been 22 years since TOTO began operations in Vietnam. Alongside Vietnam's economic development, the company has increased the number of Washlet installations. This remarkable progress is underpinned by the management philosophy of the TOTO Group.
This philosophy has been cherished and passed down through generations since it was conveyed by the first company president to the second in a letter.
The letter stressed three points: putting kindness first, providing quality products, and addressing customers' needs. It promised rewards if these points were followed.
In fact, the letter also contained a stern admonition. It warned that chasing profit only would lead to never doing anything of substance. This teaching was put into action, and TOTO's corporate culture continues to emphasize guiding subordinates while leading by example.
TOTO's emphasis on social contribution goes beyond mere strategic corporate identity initiatives. It's the result of deeply ingrained management principles that have permeated each member of the organization over the years.
It also explains Ms Hai's happiness at being able to provide children in her country's impoverished villages with schools and learning opportunities. She realizes that the driving force behind TOTO's rapid growth in Vietnam is its management perspective. This philosophy set TOTO apart from local businesses that only chase after profit.
Ms Hai embodies this distinctive management approach in her everyday work.
An Eye on Toilets for 12 Years
For the past 12 years since I was assigned to Vietnam's capital, Hanoi, I've been keeping an eye on toilets.
My job involves providing housing for clients from Japan. I show people rental units on a daily basis.
When I first arrived, there were hardly any traffic lights in this city flooded with motorbikes. Toilets with a built-in warm shower were are rarity. I remember being impressed when occasionally encountering a TOTO or INAX shower toilet in five-star hotels or airports. But they were few and far between.
First of all, Vietnamese toilets were a more angular C-shape than what I had seen in Japan. I doubted that round Japanese shower toilets would fit. Moreover, before Japanese-style bidet toilets became popular in Vietnam, there was no practice of installing a power outlet next to the toilet.
Still, some clients accustomed to Washlets in Japan insisted on having one. Then, our only option was to extend wiring from a distant power source and do our best to install it.
Another hurdle was obtaining the consent of owners because installation required drilling holes in walls.
Then, TOTO introduced a product that suddenly and simultaneously solved the problem of power supply and owner approval.
The TOTO Ecowasher was built for Southeast Asia and does not require a power supply.
Selling Like Hotcakes
As it doesn't need a power source, the Ecowasher's water is not heated and neither is its seat. In the perpetual summer heat of Ho Chi Minh City in the south and the relatively mild winters and humid climate of Hanoi in the north, this difference is easily accepted.
Yet one might wonder how the nozzle moves without electricity.
Surprisingly, it operates using water pressure alone using a lever attached to the seat to move the nozzle in and out.
TOTO's technical prowess and foresight are impressive. The Ecowasher is designed to realize a comfortable 43-degree spray angle and to keep the nozzle clean and usable for a long time. It is only one-third the price of conventional types.
The Ecowasher, having solved installation problems and providing gentle cleaning, sold like hotcakes. It became the catalyst for the spread of TOTO's Washlet in Vietnam.
A Showroom for Japanese Toilets
Shower toilets like Washlets have been the norm in Japan for quite some time, but not so for other countries. You can only truly appreciate the benefits of a shower toilet once you've used it. And once you've grow accustomed to it, you can't imagine life without it.
That is why TOTO realizes the importance of places where people can experience the Washlet firsthand. The company is working to increase these places.
In 2016, a showroom was opened in Ho Chi Minh, followed by one in Hanoi in 2021. Hanoi's experiential showroom is in a Grade A office building – one that meets the highest standards of facilities and services.
These showrooms allow visitors to experience TOTO's unique technology and culture. This includes their line of "touchless" products (like automatic faucets) that exhibit the company's commitment to cleanliness. The showrooms also further enhance brand recognition in Vietnam.
Toilets and Culture
From the old-fashioned outhouse to today's restroom, the elevation of the toilet's status owes much to the efforts of Japanese warm-water shower toilet seat manufacturers like TOTO. Is it possible to replicate the flourishing toilet culture that blossomed in cleanliness-conscious Japan in other countries?
It's not just about introducing quality products and chasing after profits, but also about nurturing local staff members like Ms Hai who understand "TOTO-ism." Local talent must be the driving force if Japanese-style toilets are to be elevated in the culture of another country.
When TOTO operates in another country, it aims to be the TOTO of that country, not just the TOTO of Japan. And social contribution activities that everyone in the country can appreciate naturally arise from such a stance.
TOTO's overseas sales ratio has grown from 8% in 2001 to 27% in 2022, more than tripling in roughly 20 years. While there are as many cultural differences as there are countries in the world, there are no borders when it comes to comfortable toilets.
Lately, the day when TOTO's Washlet stands in restrooms around the world doesn't seem so far away.
Tsuneo Taguchi is originally from Osaka and has been engaged in the real estate business since graduating from Kansai University with a degree in economics. In 2011, he was dispatched to Vietnam's capital, Hanoi, as General Director of Daiwa Corporate Real Estate Co., Ltd's Vietnam subsidiary, Hanoi Living. He has served as a real estate advisor to Japanese clients for 12 years. He also represents Japan 2 Earth in Vietnam, following Japanese corporate environmental activities in Vietnam. Follow him on Twitter.
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