BLUE SPRINGS, Miss.,
April 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/
-- It is springtime in Blue
Springs, and plants – such as Toyota Motor Manufacturing,
Mississippi – are growing. During
a groundbreaking ceremony for Toyota Mississippi's new visitor and
training center, the company announced it would invest $170 million to build the 12th generation Corolla
using Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA).
The TNGA investment enables the assembly plant to stay
competitive globally.
"We will be able to respond quicker and be more flexible in
order to meet market demands down the road," said Toyota
Mississippi President Sean Suggs.
"I'm very proud of our team members and the partnerships we have
developed across the state."
Implementation of TNGA, along with an overall increase in
production, will create 400 new jobs over the next 12 months. This
investment directly supports Toyota's plan to invest $10 billion in its U.S. facilities over the next
five years. This investment brings the company to $4.27 billion of new investment in the U.S. since
the commitment was announced in 2017. Toyota's total investment in
the U.S. over the past 60 years is $25
billion.
TNGA
The $170 million investment in the
Mississippi assembly plant will
include a complete replacement of the current production lines
allowing the facility to produce advanced vehicles more efficiently
and better adapt to changing market needs.
TNGA is a new approach to the way Toyota designs, engineers and
produces its vehicles. While retaining traditional Toyota values,
such as exceptional quality and safety, TNGA improves performance
of all models, including providing more responsive handling and a
more comfortable, enjoyable feel while driving. It also shortens
the development cycle for vehicle improvements and new vehicles by
providing a more flexible production environment.
Today's announcement is another economic development win for the
state of Mississippi. It brings
Toyota's investment in this facility to more than $1 billion since 2007.
"For more than a decade, Toyota has been a valued corporate
partner to Blue Springs and the
state of Mississippi," said
Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant. "Toyota's commitment to building a
sense of community is illustrated by the company's continued
investment in its operations and philanthropic efforts throughout
the region. This latest investment and addition of hundreds of
new jobs reinforces Toyota's dedication to excellence in
Blue Springs for generations to
come."
New Jobs
Toyota will work with its hiring partner ResourceMFG to hire 400
team members to meet the growing demand for the world's
best-selling vehicle of all time, the Toyota Corolla.
"ResourceMFG will aid in recruiting approximately 400 new team
members over the next 12 months," Suggs said. "These jobs will
support production of the all-new Corolla, and we are excited to
build more of them for our loyal customers."
Visitor and Training Center
Being competitive in the marketplace also requires both a strong
workforce and talent pipeline. Toyota will continue "growing their
own" by providing enhanced workforce development training at its
new visitor and training center.
"Today is very exciting as we unveil the design and break ground
on our future visitor and training center," Suggs said. "Toyota
knows that you have to put in the effort to get the results, and
this is just the beginning of that effort."
Local architecture firm JBHM designed a 15,000-square-foot
facility to support the plant's growing need to accommodate public
visitors and workforce training.
- Training Center: Workforce development is the fuel that
enables Toyota to be successful. The meeting and training space
will accommodate up to 120 people and include state-of-the-art
audio-visual technology.
- Public Gallery: The nearly 5,000-square-foot space will
feature interactive exhibits, the Toyota Production System and
environmental elements while highlighting the success story of the
region and the state of Mississippi's economic development.
Scheduled to open in November
2019, the visitor and training center will be open to the
public five days per week from 8 a.m. to 5
p.m.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S.
and North America for more than 60
years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation
mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that
time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have
contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of
more than 36 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14
manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ more than
47,000 people (more than 37,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North
American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold more than 2.7
million cars and trucks (2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2017 – and
about 87 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 16 years
are still on the road today.
Toyota partners with community, civic, academic, and
governmental organizations to address our society's most pressing
mobility challenges. We share company resources and extensive
know-how to support non-profits to help expand their ability to
assist more people move more places. For more information about
Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.
Contact:
|
Kathryn Ragsdale,
662-317-3524
|
|
Karen Nielsen,
469-292-2659
|
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SOURCE Toyota Motor North America