Talking Hands by Zoya Martin
at The SUBSTATION
Left to right:
“Meeting suppliers or dealers, I would shake hands. It’s a respect thing, acknowledging that person. It’s gonna be weird — definitely no hand shaking. There’ll be some awkward encounters.”
– Chris, Direct Delivery Coordinator at Toyota. 14 years at Toyota.
“It was all by hand. I started making heaters, then fuel tanks, then door trims from scratch. At the end of the day your hands were hurting, tired. If you look at a car you wouldn’t know how much effort goes in.”
– Rosa, First Female Senior General in 1985. 42 years at Toyota.
“I was the first female to drive the Taylor-Dunn — a little car with a big tray on it. It had a small oblong steering wheel — hands at 9 and 3. You used to zip around from the warehouse to the line. I loved it.”
– Mary, National Fleet B2B Coordinator. 39 years at Toyota.
“The forklift wheel has a knob on it, you can use one hand. Operating the forks, with experience, you could control 2 or 3 functions at once, pushing the different levers.”
– Mat, Warehouse Storeman at Toyota.
“We had to wear gloves — your hands are constantly touching metal parts, getting dirty. It was harder for me to use my senses properly, but then it became natural. Whenever I didn’t wear gloves, my hands were more sensitive — something sharp, something heavy.”
– Jacqui, ‘Boxes and Parts’ at Toyota.