For the last five years, Jøtul North America, located in the Gorham Industrial Park, has worked with Toyota Production System Support coaches to help transform its manufacturing facility into a world-class “Just-in-Time” system, focused on production efficiency. As a result of this work, Jøtul has been named one of only three companies in North America to be a Toyota Showcase Company.

“In these turbulent times, it is important that we can remain flexible. We have been able to absorb price increases and labor shortages while increasing the number of stoves we did pre-Covid,” said President Bret Watson.

“Just-in-Time” manufacturing was developed by Kiichiro Toyoda in the 1930s. Focusing on “small changes that make a big difference,” the system helps the company create a culture of problem-solving, safety, quality, and minimizing downtime.

“Becoming a Toyota Showcase Company is an honor and a true testament to the hard work of our manufacturing team,” said Watson. “This has been a long journey, and we still have much to accomplish. We are taking what we learned in manufacturing and implementing it into our warehousing and logistics for an additional project with Toyota.”

Jøtul North America was founded in Maine in 1980. The parent company, Jøtul AS, was founded in Norway in 1853; Jøtul stoves have been imported to the U.S. since the early 1970s. In 2005, the company moved into its Gorham location at 55 Hutcherson Drive, employs over 100 people, and produces over 16,000 units annually.