As Toyota Industries Corporation (TICO) prepares to launch its new global warehouse automation business—Toyota Automated Logistics (TAL)—on April 1, the parent company has announced the top three executives to lead the venture.
First announced in 2024, TAL establishes a single brand that unites three acquisitions: Bastian Solutions, Vanderlande’s Warehousing business, and viastore. TICO fine-tuned that vision in 2025, saying the combination will enable the delivery of scalable systems, intelligent software, and comprehensive lifecycle services.
TICO says it is launching the business to address the fast-growing market for warehouse automation, that is being spurred by greater demand for next or same day deliveries, ever-faster throughput, absolute order accuracy, and optimal warehouse performance.
TAL is designed to support those functions whether a client is taking the first steps to automate manual processes in legacy warehouses, or refining the advanced distribution centers relied on by the largest e-commerce platforms and the global fulfillment operations of leading brands, TICO says.
Leading the new venture will be three people:
- Hitoshi Matsuoka, CEO, Central
- Thomas Hibinger, CEO, EMEA & APAC
- Aaron M. Jones, CEO, Americas
“Thomas and Aaron have a solid track record of strong performance leading two of our warehouse automation businesses. Their vision has shaped the future of automated warehousing and guided the delivery of innovative and pragmatic solutions to solve customers’ complex and shifting logistics challenges,” TAL Central CEO Matsuoka said in a release. “Their appointments as regional CEOs reflect TICO’s commitment to build on the collective depth and breadth of our world-class technologies, software and services while delivering a seamless customer experience across regions.”
