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And when production does begin at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Mississippi – the official name of the plant – the facility will be rolling out the company’s popular Corolla sedan.
An official celebration with Toyota, state and local officials is scheduled at the plant at 1:30 today.
David Copenhaver, TMMMS’ vice president of administration, said the go-ahead for the project, approved by Toyota Motor Corp.’s board of directors this morning in Tokyo, allows production to begin in Mississippi sooner rather than later.
The plant was to begin production of the Prius hybrid later this year, until Toyota suspended work at the plant in December 2008 because of souring economic conditions.
“A decision still hasn’t been made on the Prius, and this allows us to open the plant as quickly as possible,” he said. “It also fulfills Toyota’s promise to bring Corolla production back to North America when it was possible.”
The Prius, the world’s best-selling hybrid, is made mostly in Japan and exported.
The Corolla is manufactured across the globe, but most of its North American production was based out of the New United Motor Manufacturing plant in Fremont, Calif., a facility Toyota co-owned with General Motors. But when GM filed for bankruptcy protection last year, it exited its NUMMI partnership. Toyota said it could not run the plant alone and closed it on April 1.
The Corolla is the best selling car line in the world, with more than 33 million in sales since its introduction in 1966.
Last year, it was the fourth-best selling vehicle in the U.S. with nearly 300,000 in sales, trailing only the Chevy Silverado, Toyota Camry and Ford F-Series trucks.
Capacity at TMMMS will be 150,000 vehicles, Copenhaver said. Employment will eventually reach about 2,000 workers, with hiring to begin by this fall.
Several top Toyota officials are expected join Gov. Haley Barbour at today’s announcement at the plant, including Yoshimi Inaba, president and chief operating officer of Toyota Motor North America.
“Toyota appreciates the patience of Gov. Barbour and all Mississippians, but we first needed to fully utilize our existing facilities as the economy slowed,” Inaba said. “Now it’s time to fulfill Toyota’s promise in Mississippi. Toyota remains committed to making vehicles where we sell them and to maintaining a substantial manufacturing presence in North America.”
Toyota mothballed TMMMS in late 2008 due to the economic downturn, with officials insisting that the facility would open once market conditions improved.
Originally, production at TMMMS, as the plant is called, was to begin in late 2009 with the Highlander sport utility vehicle rolling off the line.
In July 2008, Toyota announced as part of a restructuring in its North American manufacturing operations that TMMMS would build the popular Prius hybrid instead, starting later this year.
But the global recession that hammered the world economy also battered automobile sales, and the automaker in December 2008 said it would indefinitely suspend work at the plant.
Japanese newspapers in recent months have said that Toyota would build the Corolla in Blue Springs.
In December, the Japanese business daily Nikkei said the automaker would resume work at the plant and would build the Corolla. A Tokyo Shimbun report in March said the plant would open next June and would build the Corolla.
Toyota officials said those reports were premature.
Click here for today's Daily Journal story about announcement. Watch for coverage here all day and in the NEMS Daily Journal newspaper Friday.
There is a reason Mississippi is at the bottom of so many list and I believe workforce is one of those reasons. Think about this, if Mississippi is one of the fattest and least healthiest states in the country then you can count on lots of people calling in sick for whatever reason. Toyota won't like that but it will come with the territory, literally.
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They could buy out GM easy. It is the costs of CA that they did not like. They could of kept the employees. Instead they got rid of them just as they will do here if anyone gets close to retirement. They do not care at all about people. People are just robots to them. The one thing MS has are 2 senators that vote for regulations in their favor.
All this crowing by politicians is meaningless, it was Toyota's decision, the politicians had nothing to do with it. But, of course, they're trying to take credit for it, saying "we knew it all along", etc.
I'm probably most glad to hear that the 16.7 year principle and interest payback cited by the Mississippi Development Authority will finally begin next fall!! So, in 2028, hopefully we'll finally start to see a positive ROI.
Toyota President Akio Toyoda said he was happy to make the announcement, and expressed appreciation for the understanding on the delay shown by Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour.
“We aim to give our full effort to manufacturing vehicles that can bring joy and to contribute to the region’s economy and society,” he said in a statement.
The PUL Alliance and elected officials of Northeast Mississippi are elated that Toyota has set a date for start of production to build the Corolla at their eighth North American assembly plant on the Wellspring Project site. This announcement is welcome news to all involved in the recruitment of Toyota,and even more importantly,it is great news to the hard working people of Northeast Mississippi.
“The PUL Alliance (the Regional Economic Development in Northeast Mississippi) never lost faith in Toyota. We always said it was not a matter of if, but when,” said Wayne Stokes, president of the Pontotoc County Board of Supervisors and PUL Alliance chairman. “During this period the company continued to fulfill its commitments, and we knew when the time was right they would resume the schedule. Working on the Wellspring Project since 2001, the counties have experienced waiting, and sometimes the best rewards come after a long wait. Now with the popular Corolla production, and hiring beginning in the fall, it makes us all truly appreciate the impact these jobs will have for our local economy. The PUL Alliance never stopped working on the project, and we are ready to move forward with the company and the State.”
The magnitude of Toyota’s decision to build the Corolla, the best-selling car of all time, at its Blue Springs location will produce an economic impact that is unprecedented in this region. Toyota’s creation of 2,000 stable, well-paying jobs will be a catalyst for further job creation in the region. As automotive suppliers who have already located in the area restart their operations and other suppliers seek to move operations to Northeast Mississippi, the potential for an additional 5,000 jobs is imminent.
“We never lost confidence in this fine company,” said Danny Jordan, Union County Supervisor president. “The timing for the company to open this state-of-the-art facility and the flexibility of the communities involved signifies a true partnership between Toyota and the PUL Alliance.”
Since its formation in September 2001, the PUL Alliance partnership marketed the Wellspring Project Site that Toyota now calls home. In the interim, PUL Alliance officials have utilized the time to continue fostering the partnership and ensure that when Toyota was ready to manufacture automobiles, that all of their commitments would be met and that the workforce would be ready to meet the needs of Toyota and its suppliers.
“On behalf of the people of Northeast Mississippi, we thank you for your continued investment in our community. Completion of the project creates a bright future for our region, along with the existing manufacturers in the area. This announcement creates the potential to excel job creation in the region and will speed economic recovery,” said Darrell Rankin, president of the Lee County Board of Supervisors.
As part of the 2007 announcement that Toyota would build an automotive manufacturing facility at the Wellspring Project site, the company also revealed that it would donate $50 million, $5 million a year for 10 years, to education in the PUL counties. After two years of study by an appointed Toyota Education Endowment Fund Committee, plans have been announced to build the Center for Professional Futures, an educational facility that will expose students in the eight school districts in Pontotoc, Union, and Lee Counties to professional careers through high performance teaching and a modern learning environment.
“Toyota staunchly kept their commitments to the PUL Alliance counties, especially through the Toyota Education Endowment Fund,” said David Rumbarger, president and CEO of the Community Development Foundation, the marketing agency for the PUL Alliance, and Lee County appointee to the Education Endowment Committee. “Through the education endowment, Toyota is already affecting hundreds of school children in the Northeast Mississippi community and will continue to do so through the new high school - Center for Professional Futures.”
“We welcome the opportunity to continue our partnership with the company and its suppliers, and we are grateful for the support of the agencies that were involved as Toyota is moving forward again,” said Randy Kelley, executive director of Three Rivers Planning and Development District, the administrative agency for the PUL Alliance. “The Alliance never stopped managing and providing leadership to complete the necessary utilities during this interim time. Saying that we are elated is an understatement. We’re fired up and ready to help them make cars in Blue Springs!”
Governor Haley Barbour announced today that Toyota Motor Corporation is resuming preparations to begin production at its north Mississippi plant next year.
The company plans to produce the Toyota Corolla, the best-selling car of all time, at the Blue Springs plant.
“Toyota is moving forward to equip and begin production at its Mississippi plant. We’re delighted, but not surprised,” Governor
Barbour said. “We’ve had good reason to keep our faith in them. Through a global economic crisis, Toyota kept its financial commitments to the state and to local schools, proving they are not just the world’s premier automaker but a valuable community partner as well. We eagerly look forward to the opening of the Blue Springs plant in 2011 and are proud that the Toyota Corolla, one of the best-selling vehicles of all time, will be manufactured here in Mississippi.”
“We sincerely appreciate the patience and understanding shown by Governor Barbour and the people of Mississippi,” said Yoshimi Inaba,
president and chief operating officer of Toyota Motor North America. “With the economic downturn, we had a commitment to our team members and communities worldwide to make sure all of our existing plants were stable. With the return of stability to our existing operations in North America, it is time to fulfill Toyota’s promise in
Mississippi.”
Toyota plans to begin production at the Blue Springs facility in the fall of 2011. When complete, the facility will employ approximately
2,000 individuals.
Wayne Stokes, president of the Pontotoc County Board of Supervisors and chairman of the PUL Alliance, the regional economic development alliance in northeast Mississippi, said, “The PUL Alliance never lost faith in Toyota. Now,with production of the popular Corolla slated for the
plant and hiring beginning in the fall, it makes us all truly appreciate the impact these jobs will have on our regional economy.”
Toyota first announced its plans to build its 10th U.S. production facility at the 1,700-acre site in Blue Springs, near Tupelo, Miss., in
February 2007 with production to begin in 2010. The State of Mississippi committed approximately $294 million to the project to assist with site preparation, infrastructure and training.
“Today’s announcement is a validation of our strong partnership with Toyota, and we look forward to the 2,000 jobs the Blue Springs
plant will create, as well as a like or greater number of supplier jobs,” said Gray Swoope, executive director of the Mississippi
Development Authority.
Toyota broke ground on the facility in April 2007 and completed building construction in the spring of 2009. In December 2008, company officials announced a delay in their plans to begin production at the facility but stated their clear intent to move forward with the plant when market conditions improved.
Toyota continued to pay more than $10 million on state-issued bonds to fund road construction and extend water and sewer systems to the site. The corporation also made its initial annual $5 million payment to the Tupelo-based CREATE Foundation for local education, which was the first
payment in a 10-year commitment to the organization.
http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/toyota-sets-start-up-date-for-160500.aspx
Toyota sets start-up date for Mississippi plant
New plant to build Corolla beginning in Fall 2011
BLUE SPRINGS, Mississippi (June 17, 2010) – Toyota is resuming construction of its Mississippi plant, which will soon hire 2,000 team members and build the Corolla compact sedan beginning in the fall of 2011.
Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour plans to visit Toyota Motor Manufacturing Mississippi (TMMMS) today to meet with Northeast Mississippi community leaders and Toyota officials.
This decision to begin production with Corolla enables TMMMS to open as quickly as possible. Also, by beginning production with Corolla, nearly all Corolla for this market will be built in North America. Some of the Corolla for North America have been built in Japan since April.
“Toyota appreciates the patience of Gov. Barbour and all Mississippians, but we first needed to fully utilize our existing facilities as the economy slowed. Now it’s time to fulfill Toyota’s promise in Mississippi,” said Yoshimi Inaba, president and chief operating officer of Toyota Motor North America. “Toyota remains committed to making vehicles where we sell them and to maintaining a substantial manufacturing presence in North America.”
The TMMMS building is essentially complete. Most of the remaining work involves the installation of equipment. The administration office is already occupied by about 60 team members. Details about the hiring process will be divulged later this summer.