Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. (TMMC) is a Canada-based automotive manufacturer. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation under its Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America subsidiary division. TMMC currently operates two plants in Cambridge, Ontario, and another in Woodstock, Ontario. The current President of TMMC is Canadian Fred Volf.[1] The plant currently produces Lexus RX, Toyota Corolla and Toyota RAV4 vehicles.
History
TMMC has been in operation since 1988. TMMC is composed of three different plants — North, West and South, each building a different vehicle. The plants adhere to the Toyota manufacturing process known as the Toyota Production System or TPS.[2] In the first year TMMC opened, 153 vehicles were built. Today, the three plants that make up TMMC have the ability to build over 600,000 vehicles annually. That puts Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada in the number 2 position of all global Toyota manufacturing plants. TMMC employs over 8,000 persons.
The Cambridge plant opened in 1988, and has been expanded twice since. This was Toyota's second car-assembly plant in North America, after the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky plant in Georgetown, Kentucky which opened in 1987, and the first Toyota assembly plant in Canada. The Cambridge plant in its current configuration covers 3,000,000 square feet (280,000 m2) in space on 1.62 square kilometres (400 acres) and the Woodstock plant covers 1,800,000 square feet (170,000 m2) in space on 4.05 square kilometres (1,000 acres). The Woodstock plant opened in 2008, and is now in full production of Toyota's RAV4. The location was picked due to its educated workforce, proximity to the Cambridge plant, and being adjacent to the major transportation corridors, Highway 401 and Highway 403.
TMMC is the first plant outside Japan to produce a Lexus brand vehicle. It is also the first Toyota plant in North America and the only automotive manufacturer in Canada to assemble both advanced technology hybrid (Lexus RX 450h) and electric (Toyota RAV4 EV) vehicles.
On March 28, 2012, TMMC announced that CA$80 million would be invested in the Woodstock plant to increase production by 50,000 vehicles a year to a new total of 200,000 vehicles per year. This created 400 new jobs at the plant.[3] On July 24, 2012, Toyota also created 400 new jobs at the Cambridge plant to handle increased production of Lexus RX line in 2twoyears to 104,000 vehicles.[4] In April 2015, Toyota announced it would be moving production of the Corolla to a new plant in Mexico, and will expand RAV4 production to the Cambridge plant after 2019.[5]
Unionization efforts
The CAW (now known as Unifor) has attempted several times to organize TMMC.[6] TMMC Assistant General Manager and spokesman Greig Mordue stated "Our team members will decide whether or not a union best reflects their interest... At this point in time, we don't think they have anything to gain from a union", and described the defeat of the CAW drive saying "Our team members have recognized that a third party represents a complication they don't need." [7] Despite this, however, the CAW supported Mordue as the (unsuccessful) Liberal candidate in the 2006 federal election instead of endorsing the NDP's Zoe Kunschner.[8][9] Team Members have cited poor health and safety conditions as a major reason for seeking union representation.[10] In August 2014, Unifor announced it was withdrawing an application with the Ontario Labour Relations Board to become the bargaining agent for Toyota employees, and called off a vote to unionize the Woodstock and Cambridge plants.[11]
Awards
Since 2005, TMMC has been named one of Canada's Top 100 Employers for 11 consecutive years by Mediacorp Canada Inc. and has been featured in Maclean's news magazine. TMMC was recognized as one of Waterloo Area's Top Employers, as announced in the Waterloo Region Record, Guelph Mercury and Cambridge Times.[12]
TMMC has fourteen (14) J.D. Power and Associates plant quality awards, including the prestigious global Platinum Plant Quality Award in both 2011 and 2014 - at the time it was the only Toyota plant outside Japan to ever win this award.[13] It also has seven Gold awards.[14] TMMC was also recognized by JD Power as having the #1, 3, and 4 best assembly lines in all of North America [15]
Products
Products made at Cambridge facility
- Toyota Corolla (1988–Present) North Plant
- Lexus RX 350 (2003–Present) South Plant
- Lexus RX 450h (2014–Present) South Plant
Former products made at Cambridge facility
- Toyota Solara (1998-2003) South Plant
- Toyota Matrix (2001-2013) North Plant
Products made at Woodstock facility
- Toyota RAV4 (2007–Present)
References
- ^ Keenan, Greg (December 3, 2015). "Toyota Canada appoints first Canadian president amid executive shuffle". The Globe and Mail.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 27, 2015. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
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suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Toyota adding 400 jobs at Ontario plant". March 28, 2012. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
- ^ "Toyota to expand Lexus production in Canada - WHEELS.ca". WHEELS.ca. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
- ^ "With Corolla move to Mexico, Toyota plans big for Canadian factories". The Globe and Mail. March 15, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
- ^ CAW aims for Toyota - Autonet.ca[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Active Topics". Retrieved May 11, 2016.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "CTV News - Top Stories - Breaking News - Top News Headlines". Archived from the original on November 20, 2007. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
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suggested) (help) - ^ Toyota angle didn't help Oxford's Mordue | The Record.com Archived December 15, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ http://blogs.windsorstar.com/2013/12/12/toyota-workers-may-be-on-verge-of-joining-unifor/
- ^ "Unifor push to unionize Ontario Toyota workers hits snag". CBC. April 3, 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
- ^ "Reasons for Selection, 2009 Canada's Top 100 Employers Competition".
- ^ "Manufacturing In Canada". Toyota Canada Inc. April 29, 2014. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 8, 2015. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "2015 Vehicle Dependability Study". J.D. Power. Retrieved May 11, 2016.