The Band Toto Asia
Toto expanded its production facilities overseas, and was doing business in France and Germany, Indonesia, Korea and Taiwan, Thailand and the People's Republic of China. The company saw North America as a growth market for Washlet bidets and toilets, in contrast to its "base" markets of Japan and China.
Dhaniram Toto documented Toto words to ensure that the future generation could be able to read them. However, many words were being replaced by foreign ones, such as dui from Bengali for verandah.
Origins
Toto's early history, which began in 1917, was a reflection of Japan's economic growth. In the first half, Toto manufactured products to meet the growing demand for modern, contemporary urban housing. To do this, it used the country's first tunnel kiln that produced ceramics in a continuous flow. It also pioneered the use of automation to control production, which allows for more efficiency and consistency.
The company began expanding its operations overseas in the late 1980s in order to profit from new markets and sales opportunities. It created the Cera Trading Company, importing and distributing other manufacturers' products to complement its own range of sanitary earthenware and plumbing fittings. This strategy helped increase sales and increased the company's global market share.
In the late 1990s, Toto had shifted its emphasis on research and development of household appliances that use water. It also improved its distribution system to better serve the needs of its customers and boost profits. The company used the same just-in-time approach to its supply chain management as well as sales program. This led to a higher degree of customer satisfaction.
Toto continues to invent toilet technology. Its latest toilet, for instance it has an extremely powerful tornado flush that is more eco friendly than traditional toilets. The company also uses recycled water in its production process and has a green procurement policy. In addition to toilets, Toto manufactures faucets and bathtubs and hand dryers that are more efficient in energy use than standard models.
The first Toto museum opened in the year 2015. It hosts exhibits on Toto's most famous products, their evolution, the group companies (all of which are made from ceramics), the history of plumbing and other products like bath units. In a separate gallery you can view Toto products that are sold across the world. The museum also has a bathroom that features a WASHLET toilet and other toilet-related innovations.
Before visit the next site of Toto the members of the band did sessions for various musicians. Keyboardist David Paich, drummer Jeff Porcaro, and guitarists Mike Porcaro and Steve Lukather all performed on the album Silk Degrees by Boz Scaggs. They also performed on records by Steely Dan, Seals and Crofts, and Sonny and Cher.
Discography
With a name as evocative as Asia one would expect the group to be prog queens and kings - but it's actually a fairly straightforward rock group. The band began as four members and released two albums that were self-titled in 1979 and 1980's Armed to the Teeth. But even though the band have a diverse musical background their biggest hit was achieved in 1982 with Toto IV.
The album was a huge blockbuster, but it was not without its own set of issues. The record companies put Toto under pressure to deliver the top single or they would rescind them. Luckily for Toto, they did with the assistance of the smash single "Africa."
Toto's musical mastery is a result of their previous experience since the members had been session musicians for artists like Boz Scaggs, Steely Dan, and Seals and Crofts before starting the group. Their sonic trademark has become the standard for '80s music, influencing many contemporary artists.
The album opens up hard with tracks like Running Out of Time or Unknown Soldier that show the band's ability to create great AOR songs that slowly sink into your head. The album also features jazzier, slower tracks like The Little Things and Chinatown. The album closes with Great Expectations. This song mixes folk and distortion AOR that could sound completely wrong but actually is very effective.
After Toto IV, the band's fortunes began to wane. David Hungate left to concentrate on his solo career and the band had to go through several drummers. In 1984, Bobby Kimball was fired from the band in the wake of drug charges and the band continued as a trio, which included Michael Porcaro and Steve Lukather.
Despite the chaos, Toto forged ahead and released Isolation that was not as successful as IV. However, the band still had a successful chart-topping album in 1992, Kingdom of Desire. This album marked the end of the original Toto lineup and was the first to feature a new singer, Simon Phillips.
Tours
The band has entertained millions of people across the globe, and has sold-out shows in Europe, North America and Asia as well as Australia and New Zealand. The band has a wide collection of songs, and their catalog has been heard over one billion times on streaming services across the globe. The band's music has influenced multiple generations of fans.
Steve Lukather and Joe Williams have developed a deep colorful friendship that is thriving professionally on a worldwide basis. In 2018 the duo celebrated 40 Tours Around the Sun with a massively successful tour across the globe. The album with the same name was ranked #5 on Billboard 200. The new tour by the band includes their best hits and rarely performed live deep cuts, alongside a selection of songs from Lukather and Williams their individual catalogs.
TOTO has a customer satisfaction rating of 20 according to its Net Promoter Score which measures how likely its customers are to recommend the brand. Promoters are people who give a high rating to the company and encourage others to use its products and services. Detractors are those who evaluate the company poorly, and can even actively discourage others from using their products or services.
Join Toto to experience a unique cultural encounter in Asia. This highlights tour of the region the French once called Indochine offers luxurious accommodation, a day on a luxurious cruise ship in Halong Bay, and an exploration of the mystical temples of Angkor Wat. Also, you'll spend a night in the charming town of Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage city that is a feast for the senses. This is an unforgettable trip that you won't want to miss!
Line-up
The band's third album, Turn Back, marked a return to the classic sextet arrangement of the previous albums. It was a stronger, more consistent effort with an edge that was more pronounced than Hydra. The more edgy sound of the album was indicative of the maturation of group and featured drummer Bobby Kimball's increased virtuosity on drums, and a more confident, mature vocal delivery from singer Joseph Williams. David Paich's keyboard work was also sharper, more complex, and less derivative on earlier efforts.
After touring to promote their album, the group recorded the band's Amsterdam live concert that was released by Eagle Records as a 2-CD set titled Falling In Between. The group released their new studio album a few months later and then embarked on a tour around the world to help promote the album. During this time, keyboardist Greg Phillinganes filled in for Paich and bassist David Hungate left the group to spend more time with his family.
In 1998, Paich & Lukather began searching through old tapes & demos to discover songs that hadn't been recorded prior to. It was released as a double-album titled Then and Now in 2001. It was the first album by the band not to feature a single song with the word "A" in the title, and it also contained one previously not released track, "Kari-Anne".
By 2003, Toto had begun to decline in popularity. The group's fourth record, Old Is New was a commercial failure and vocalist Williams was suffering from laryngitis that restricted his singing capabilities. In addition, Hungate returned to Nashville, while drummer Leland Sklar was replaced by Shem von Schroeck.
Downes, Wetton Palmer and Howe, the founding members of Asia The original Asia members met in England in the beginning of 2006 to discuss the possibility that the group could be reformed. The group, which was missing Howe who was working with Yes at the time, became Toto XIV. They toured extensively.
In 2010, the band reunited for another reunion tour with a slightly different line-up, including guitarists Mike Porcaro and Steve Lukather, drummer John Pierce, bassist Shannon Forrest, and multi-instrumentalists Warren Ham and Dominique Taplin. The group also had an appearance by singer Michael McDonald, and a backing singer named Mabvuto Carpenter.