Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. (TMMC) is a Canada-based automotive manufacturer and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation. TMMC currently operates two plants in Cambridge, Ontario, and another in Woodstock, Ontario. The current President of TMMC is Fred Volf

History

Since 1988, Canadian workers have been making Toyota vehicles. In the first year TMMC opened, 153 vehicles were built. Currently, the three plants that make up TMMC have the ability to build over 500,000 vehicles annually. That puts Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada in the top 5 global Toyota manufacturing plants. TMMC has been recognized with a total of 14 Plant Quality awards, which is more than any other automotive manufacturer in the Americas. These include 2 Platinum and 7 Gold awards.[1]

TMMC isn’t just one plant; operations include three different plants — North, West and South. Each builds a different vehicle. What they all have in common is an approach to manufacturing known as the Toyota Production System or TPS, which has changed how automobile manufacturers around the world produce vehicles.[2]

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 plant in Georgetown, Kentucky, 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). TMMC employs over 8,000 Team Members. 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.[3] TMMC was also recognized by the JD Power VDS as having the #1, 3, and 4 best assembly lines in all of North America [4]

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.

The Woodstock plant celebrated its Grand Opening 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.

On March 28, 2012, TMMC announced that 80 million dollars 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.[5] On July 24, 2012, Toyota also created 400 new jobs at the Cambridge plant to handle increased production of Lexus RX line in 2 years to 104,000 vehicles.[6]

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.[7]

Products made at Cambridge facility

Former products made at Cambridge facility

Products made at Woodstock facility

Unionization efforts

The CAW (now known as Unifor) has attempted several times to organize TMMC.[8] 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." [9] 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.[10][11] Team Members have cited poor Health & Safety conditions as a major reason for seeking union representation.[12] 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.[13]

Awards and community involvement

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.[14]

Toyota Canada Inc.

Toyota Canada Inc. (TCI) is the exclusive distributor of Toyota, Lexus and Scion cars, SUVs and trucks in Canada. TCI’s head office is located in Toronto, Ontario, with regional offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Halifax and parts distribution centres in Toronto and Vancouver.

Other facilities

References

  1. ↑ http://www.tmmc.ca/en/history.html
  2. ↑ http://www.tmmc.ca/en/how-we-build.html
  3. ↑ "Manufacturing In Canada". Toyota Canada Inc. 2014-04-29. Retrieved 2014-04-29.
  4. ↑ "2015 Vehicle Dependability Study". J.D. Power. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  5. ↑ "Toyota adding 400 jobs at Ontario plant". 28 March 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  6. ↑ "Toyota to expand Lexus production in Canada - WHEELS.ca". WHEELS.ca. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  7. ↑ "With Corolla move to Mexico, Toyota plans big for Canadian factories". The Globe and Mail. 2015-03-15. Retrieved 2015-04-23.
  8. ↑ CAW aims for Toyota - Autonet.ca
  9. ↑ "Active Topics". Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  10. ↑ "CTV News - Top Stories - Breaking News - Top News Headlines". Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  11. ↑ Toyota angle didn't help Oxford's Mordue | The Record.com
  12. ↑ http://blogs.windsorstar.com/2013/12/12/toyota-workers-may-be-on-verge-of-joining-unifor/
  13. ↑ "Unifor push to unionize Ontario Toyota workers hits snag". CBC. 2014-04-03. Retrieved 2015-01-17.
  14. ↑ "Reasons for Selection, 2009 Canada's Top 100 Employers Competition".
  15. ↑ "Winter Testing". Toyota Canada Inc. 2014-04-29. Retrieved 2014-04-29.
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