HUNTSVILLE, Ala.- Business Council of Alabama member Toyota Motor Manufacturing
Alabama made engine No. 1 in 2003. On Monday the plant completed
engine No. 4 million.
“It was an exciting day,” said Jim
Bolte, president of Toyota Alabama. “This is a testament to our
team members – they are dedicated to building high-quality engines.
And, whether it was the first in 2003, or the four-millionth, the
same amount of detail and craftsmanship goes into each one.”
The Huntsville plant makes V6 and V8
engines but the four-millionth engine was produced on the 4-cylinder
line. Since 2003, the Huntsville plant has built 1 million 4-cylinder
engines, 1.3 million V6 engines and 1.7 million V8 engines.
Four million engines will line up 1,794
miles, the distance from the Huntsville plant to Las Vegas.
The three engine types go into seven
Toyota vehicles that are built in North America – Camry,
Highlander, RAV4, Sequoia, Tacoma, Tundra, and Venza.
Toyota said that nearly 2,500 engines
are built each day. The plant can make capacity of 710,000 engines a
year.
“I can’t believe we hit 4 million,”
said Tina Lane, a Toyota Alabama team member who has been building
engines since the plant opened. “There is a lot of pride that goes
along with it. Just think, 4 million Toyota vehicles around the world
are being powered by our engines; that’s a big responsibility.”
The unique Huntsville plant employs
1,300 men and women. It’s unique because it’s the only Toyota
facility that makes 4-cylinder, V6 and V8 engines under one roof,
making it among the largest Toyota engine plants globally.
It also is one of only two designated
“model sustainable plants” in North America, which results in
other Toyota facilities benchmarking for its environmental
achievements.
“We look to the Alabama plant as a
leader. Every challenge it has faced, the team there exceeds any and
all expectations,” said Osamu Ushio, executive vice president of
operations and manufacturing, Toyota Motor Engineering &
Manufacturing North America Inc.
“That is why we continue to invest so
much into the facility. They have what it takes to be successful –
a strong group of team members who are dedicated to quality and
safety. They should be very proud of the 4-millionth milestone,” he
said.
The plant has taken on five major
investments and four expansions in the last 10 years. Most recently,
a project costing $230 million was completed to boost V6 production.
The total plant investment is $864 million since the 2001
groundbreaking.
Toyota has built more than 30 million
cars and trucks in the last 50 years in North America where 14
manufacturing plants, 10 in the United States, directly employ more
than 42,000 people.
For more information about Toyota,
visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.