Toyota unveiled an expansion to its forklift manufacturing facility recently in the tiny town of Columbus, Indiana.
The Japanese company invested $11 million in its Toyota Industrial Equipment Manufacturing facility in the town of 30,000 that lies about 45 miles south of Indianapolis. The expansion adds 108,000 square feet to the plant and includes a distribution facility and customer service center that offers “the ultimate experience.”
High Tech Customer Experience
A lot of carmakers and heavy equipment manufacturers often park one of the vehicles that are made at its plant out front as an example of the work that is done inside.
But Toyota has taken it a step further by including an interactive showroom where visitors can see, touch and climb into the vehicles that are made at the facility.
The company plans to fly selected dealers to the plant on its corporate jet so they can visit the expanded facility. Once they arrive, they will be able to tour a high-tech showroom that feature both the newest and the oldest forklifts, including the first lift truck made in the US, according to news reports.
Guests also will be taken to a theater where they will receive a personalized presentation. Afterwards, a the theater wall will recede into the ceiling to reveal lift trucks being field-tested in the plant’s demonstration room.
New North American HQ
The expansion prompted Toyota Materials Handling USA to move its North American headquarters to Columbus from Irvine, California.
Most of the Toyota forklifts used in the US are built at the Columbus plant. The latest expansion increases the size of the facility to more than 1 million square feet on 126 acres. It included 21,400 square feet of new office space.
The expansion enables better communications between workers, improved products and services, and a better experience for customers.
More Expansion Planned
While the paint has barely dried on the newest expansion, Toyota plans to spend $16 million to further expand its US new product development division at the plant to improve support for the North American market. Once completed, that 50,600 square foot addition will increase total facility size to 1.1 million square feet.
The new building and renovation will not only expand its production capabilities, but also will include room for human development activities, new product development, and the company’s Vision 2020 strategic initiatives. There will be a new two-story office building, cafeteria, storm shelter, locker room, and an expanded on-site medical center for Toyota employees and their families.
The Columbus plant employees 759 people but the second expansion will increase that number to more than 1,000.
While that may seem like a lot, Toyota employs about 5,000 people at its assembly plant in Princeton, Indiana, where it makes its Highlander, Sequoia, and Sienna vehicles.