It's A Toto Asia Success Story You'll Never Imagine
Wiki Article
The Band Toto Asia
Toto was expanding its production facilities in the overseas market and operating in France, Germany, Indonesia, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and the People's Republic of China. North America was seen as an area of growth for bidet and washlet toilet seats, in contrast to its "base" markets in Japan and China.
Dhaniram Toto documented Toto words so that the next generation could understand the words. Many words were substituted with foreign ones. For example dui, which is Bengali for verandah, was being used.
Origins
Toto's early history which began in 1917, mirrored Japan's economic expansion. In the first half of 1917, Toto produced goods to meet the demand for modern, new urban housing. It had the first tunnel kiln in the nation to produce ceramics continuously. It also pioneered the use automation to control production, which allows for more efficiency and consistency.
In the late 1980s, the company began to expand outwards to take advantage of sales and new markets. The company created the Cera Trading Company to import and sell other manufacturers' products to expand its range of sanitary earthenwares and plumbing fittings. This strategy increased sales and increased the firm's market share.
In the 90s, Toto began to concentrate on research and development of water-related appliances. It also improved its distribution system to better serve the needs of customers and to increase profits. The company adopted a just-in-time approach to managing its supply chain, and it used the same method for its sales process. This resulted in a greater level of customer satisfaction.
Toto has been able to continue to innovate on the toilet technology. Its latest toilet, for instance, has a powerful tornado flush that is more eco friendly than traditional toilets. The company uses recycled water in its manufacturing process and has a green purchasing policy. Apart from toilets, Toto manufactures faucets and bathtubs and hand dryers that are more efficient in terms of energy consumption than conventional 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 of ceramics), the history of plumbing, and even bath units. In another gallery, visitors will find Toto products that are sold throughout. The museum even has a bathroom that features the WASHLET toilet, as well as other toilet-related innovations.
Before the formation of Toto members of the group did sessions with 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 played on records by Steely Dan, Seals and Crofts, and Sonny and Cher.
Discography
You might expect a band with a name such as Asia to be a prog rock band however it's actually a pretty straightforward rock group. The band started out as a quartet and recorded two albums - 1979's self titled debut, and 1980's Armed to the Teeth. The group has a wide musical background but their biggest success was in 1982 with Toto IV.
The album was a huge blockbuster, but it was not without its share of issues. The record companies put Toto under pressure to deliver a hit single or else they would pull them. Toto was able to achieve this through the aid of the smash hit "Africa."
Toto's musical mastery is due to their previous experience, as the band members were session musicians for artists such as Boz Scaggs, Steely Dan, and Seals and Crofts before starting the group. Their distinctive sound has since become the standard for '80s pop, influencing many modern artists.
The album starts out hard with songs like Running Out of Time or Unknown Soldier that show the band's ability to create great AOR tunes that slowly get into your head. The album also includes some more jazzy, slower tracks such as The Little Things and Chinatown. The album closes with Great Expectations, a song that combines folk with distorted AOR and should sound like a complete flop, but works amazingly well.
After Toto IV, the band's fortunes changed to the downside. David Hungate left to concentrate on his solo career and the band had to go through numerous drummers. In 1984, Bobby Kimball left the band following drug-related charges. The band continued with Michael Porcaro, Steve Lukather and Michael Porcaro.
Toto released Isolation despite the turmoil. It wasn't as well-liked as IV. The group managed to release a chart-topping album, Kingdom of Desire, in 1992. The album marked the end of the original Toto lineup and was the first album to feature the new singer, Simon Phillips.
Tours
The band has performed for millions of people across the globe, and has sold-out shows across Europe, North America and Asia and also Australia and New Zealand. The repertoire of the band is extensive, and their collective catalog has accumulated more than billion streams on streaming services around the world. The band's iconic music has influenced generations of fans.
Steve Lukather and Joe Williams have formed a strong colorful friendship that is thriving professionally on a global basis. In 2018, the duo celebrated 40 Tours Around the Sun with a massively successful global tour. The album of the same title ranked #5 on the Billboard 200. The latest tour of the band features their most popular hits rare live deep-cuts and some songs from Lukather's and Williams individual catalogs.
TOTO has a satisfaction rating of 20 based on its Net Promoter Score, which is a measure of how likely customers are to recommend the brand. Promoters are those who rate the company highly and actively encourage others to make use of their products or services. Detractors are those who rate the company poorly, and can even actively discourage others from using their services or products.
Join Toto for a unique cultural experience in Asia. This highlights tour of a region that the French once called Indochine offers luxurious accommodation, a day on a deluxe junk in Halong Bay, and an exploration of the mystical temples of Angkor Wat. You'll also stay a night in the charming town of Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage city that is a feast for the senses. This is a trip which you'll never wish to miss!
Line-up
Turn Back, the band's third studio album, was an attempt to return to the traditional sextet style, and an even more consistent and powerful album with a sharper edge. Its more punk-rock sound was a reflection of the maturation of the group and included drummer Bobby Kimball's greater ability on the drums and a more mature, confident vocal delivery from singer Joseph Williams. Keyboardist David Paich's work was more refined, sharper and less cloned on previous recordings.
After touring to promote the album, the group recorded a live show in Amsterdam which was released as a set of two CDs titled Falling In Between Live on Eagle Records. The group released their new studio album just a few months after and then embarked on a world tour to support it. During this time, keyboardist Greg Phillinganes replaced Paich and bassist David Hungate quit the group to spend time with his family.
In 1998, Paich and Lukather started looking through old demos and tapes in search of a new album featuring songs that were never recorded before. The album was released as a double-album titled Then And Now in 2001. It was the first album in the band's history that did not include one single track with the word "A" in the title, and it also contained one previously unreleased track, "Kari-Anne".
By 2003, Toto had begun to decline in popularity. The group's fourth album, Old Is New was a commercial failure and vocalist Williams was suffering from laryngitis that restricted his singing capabilities. In addition, website Hungate returned to Nashville as a drummer, and Leland Sklar was replaced by Shem von Schroeck.
Downes and the other members of Asia--Wetton, Palmer, and Howe--convened a meeting in England in the beginning of 2006 to discuss the possibility of formally restructuring the band. This lineup, minus Howe (who was a member of Yes at the time) was later referred to as Toto XIV and 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 band also featured the appearance of singer Michael McDonald, and a backing singer named Mabvuto Carpenter.