10/04/2018 08h08

Toyota celebrates 20 years of operation in Indaiatuba by announcing R$1 billion investment

Investment will allow the company’s plant to undergo a process of modernization to become even more competitive in the regional scenario. Project relied on the support from Investe São Paulo

Investe São Paulo with Toyota

Toyota has just announced a R$1 billion investment in its plant in Indaiatuba, São Paulo (SP).The investment has the mission of preparing the unit based on a process of modernization in order to become more flexible and competitive in the Brazilian and Latin American scenario, seeking to produce increasingly better cars.

The announcement was celebrated by the company’s management during a ceremony held on September 28 in that plant, together with the representatives of the federal, state and municipal governments of Indaiatuba, as well as employees, the local union, and partners such as Investe São Paulo, the investment promotion agency of the state of São Paulo.

The agency provides strategic information free of charge that helps companies such as Toyota promote new projects or expansion.“We are delighted to have contributed to Toyota’s expansion.All initiatives that focus on innovation help promote economic development in the state of São Paulo,” says Marcos Monteiro, president of Investe São Paulo.In this project, in addition to institutional support, Investe SP assisted in the dialogue with government agencies in the tax area.

The occasion also marked the 20 years of operation of the company’s plant in Indaiatuba, renowned for its excellence in quality in the production of the leader in the segment of medium sedans and one of Brazil’s best-selling cars, Corolla.

This new investment cycle is closely related to the company’s commitment to produce increasingly better cars and the engagement of its entire value chain.Furthermore, this is the first investment of the automotive industry after the announcement of the Rota 2030 Program and it shows Toyota’s confidence in the future of the country.

The investment will promote the improvement, upgrade and modernization of all processes in the assembly line in Indaiatuba, within a period of 18 months.It also includes labor improvement through technical upgrades, improved ergonomics and the training of its entire workforce.

 “Toyota’s announcement is another example of the company’s confidence in Brazil and its people.With this investment, our plant will become more flexible and competitive to meet our customers’ expectations and will make us more competitive in our exports,” said Steve St. Angelo, Toyota’s CEO for Latin America and the Caribbean and Chairman of Toyota Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela.

20 years in Indaiatuba

In order to choose the location that would house the first complex to produce the medium sedan Corolla in Latin America, Toyota took into account the logistic aspects and the qualification of labor when selecting the city of Indaiatuba, in São Paulo.

With the acquisition of a land covering 1.5 million square meters and a subsequent investment of US$ 150 million, Toyota do Brasil started the construction of the facilities of its second plant in the country, in 1996.Thus, in September 1998, with the production of the first Brazilian Corolla, the unit in Indaiatuba (SP) was officially opened.Two years later, the company invested another US$ 300 million in the modernization and structural expansion of this unit.

This new investment marked the beginning of the production of the 9th generation of Corolla, which started in June 2002. In January 2003, as a result of the absolute success of the medium sedan, Toyota do Brasil started the second shift, which raised the production volume by 120%.In January 2004, the plant reached the cumulative production of 100,000 units of Corolla.

The consolidation of the market caused Toyota do Brasil to decide to launch a new model derived from the sedan:Fielder, a vehicle that redefined the segment of vans.With the injection of US$ 15 million, the plant in Indaiatuba started producing the model in May 2004, which immediately assumed the leadership position, revitalizing this segment in the domestic automotive market.In 2007, Toyota started producing, in Indaiatuba, with an additional investment of US$ 15 million, the Corolla Flex line, which consists of the Corolla sedan and Fielder.

The engine technology that accepts the use of pure and blended ethanol and gasoline in any ratio was a joint effort of Toyota’s engineers from Brazil and Japan, this being the first time Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) developed bi-fuel technology and, in this case, exclusively focused on the Brazilian market.In 2008, Toyota launched the 10th generation of Corolla.

In March 2014, the 11th generation of the model started being produced and three years later, the plant celebrated the historical mark of 1 million units produced of Corolla, in Indaiatuba.

Since quality is a key factor for Toyota, the company has a test track, located around the factory, where engineers of the quality control department perform constant experiments to certify the excellence of the model produced.The circuit is 1,000 meters long and 4.2 meters wide, which also enables the verification of possible improvements in the product.

 “The plant in Indaiatuba was largely responsible for placing Toyota in a position of greater prominence in the Brazilian automotive sector and we are very proud of its trajectory.Today, Corolla is a reference and one of the most best-selling cars in Brazil and this is the result of the constant pursuit of continuous improvement, which is part of the DNA of all our employees.I’m sure that this investment will bring many benefits to them as well, with important improvements in the ergonomics and working conditions of everyone,” says Rafael Chang, president of Toyota do Brasil.

Toyota do Brasil Ltda. has four production units in the cities of Indaiatuba, Sorocaba, Porto Feliz and São Bernardo do Campo, all in the State of São Paulo, which also houses an Applied Research Center and a Design Center.In addition, it has three vehicle distribution centers, in Guaíba (RS), Vitória (ES) and Suape (PE), a distribution center of parts in Votorantim (SP), a representation office in Brasília (DF) and over 6,000 employees.Founded in 1937, Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) is one of the most representative manufacturers of passenger and commercial vehicles in the world.With production in 28 countries and regions and sales in over 160 countries, the company is owner of the brands Toyota, Lexus, Daihatsu and Hino.Toyota holds shares in the Stock Exchanges of Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka, and Sapporo (Japan), New York (USA) and London (UK) and currently employs more than 344,000 employees worldwide.For more information, please visit the websites http://www.toyota-global.com/ and www.toyota.com.br or www.facebook.com.br/toyotadobrasil