Toyota Breaks Ground on Michigan Technical Center Expansion
By Tim Esterdahl
Furthering its efforts to consolidate its North American operations, Toyota broke ground Thursday on a $126 million expansion of its Technical Center in Ann Arbor, Mich. The expansion will bring together more suppliers and will include two brand-new facilities — a prototype development building and a supplier center. The expansion also includes enlarging Toyota's powertrain development area.
Expanding the center, expected to be finished in late 2016, will also result in 300 Kentucky and California engineering employees relocating to Michigan.
"The expansion of this campus is a key element of Toyota's ongoing unification of our North American operations, which includes a new headquarters in Plano, Texas," said Toyota North America CEO Jim Lentz in a statement. "Investments here in Michigan will intensify Toyota's engineering, product development and procurement capabilities. The impact of this will be felt by our customers through improved quality, adoption of new technologies and greater value of the vehicles we produce."
Toyota says the new supplier center will bring together purchasing groups, engineering design teams and supplier partners for better collaboration. Bringing different groups together at a single location makes it easier for them to work together and is one of the reasons behind Toyota moving its headquarters to Plano.
As part of the festivities, Toyota donated three Tundra pickup trucks to the local fire departments.
Manufacturer photos
Comments
Just more jap scrap to be hauled off to the junk yard. Nascar had to lower the HP of their cars this year, so Toyota could keep up with the Chevys and Fords.
Wow...Johnny doe actually compliments Ford for once. Nice.
Investments like this are great for the local communities and the country.
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