Ford Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp., the two companies that pioneered mass production and lean manufacturing, are each celebrating important milestones this year.
CAMBRIDGE, ON—The Canadian and Ontario governments are each investing $16.875 million to help Toyota retool its assembly plant here to make hybrid vehicles. Toyota itself is investing more than $100 million to expand production at the facility.
BLUE SPRINGS, MS—Masafumi Hamaguchi, president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Mississippi, loves running, professional wrestling and helping assemblers produce the highest quality vehicles possible.
BELDEN, MS—Toyota Motor Manufacturing Mississippi and four local community colleges are launching a program to train people for advanced manufacturing jobs.
TUPELO, MS—One year after it opened, Toyota’s assembly plant here is producing some 600 cars daily, about where company officials hoped to be with its eighth and newest North American factory.
HUNTSVILLE, AL—Construction starts in a few weeks for a 300,000-square-foot expansion of Toyota’s engine assembly plant here. The expansion will create 125 new jobs, and production is expected to begin in March 2014.
CAMBRIDGE, ON—Toyota is planning to invest more than $100 million in assembly plant here to increase production of the Lexus RX. The automaker also plans to hire an additional 400 workers.
