Toyota enters into a memorandum with Investe SP to build an engine plant
Investment of approximately R$ 1 billion will be made in Porto Feliz; production should begin in 2015
At the inauguration of Toyota’s plant in Sorocaba, which took place on Thursday morning, August 9, the company’s global president Akio Toyoda officially announced to the Governor of São Paulo Geraldo Alckmin the construction of an engine plant in the city of Porto Feliz, located 112 km from the state capital. “We are already engaged in the new plant in Porto Feliz. Today, viaducts were inaugurated with investments of R$ 40 million, which will help the plant and the entire region,” said Alckmin.At the event, Toyota entered into a memorandum of understanding with Investe São Paulo, stating that the company will invest approximately R$ 1 billion, estimated to generate nearly 600 direct jobs and produce 200,000 engines. “In addition to advising the company with the location of the engine plant, we also provided all the support for the environmental licensing and local infrastructure,” said the president of Investe SP, Luciano Almeida.
The plant is expected to start operating in the second half of 2015, producing engines for the new model Etios, which will be manufactured in Sorocaba, and also for Corolla, manufactured in Indaiatuba. “With the local manufacture of this engine, the domestic content of both Etios and Corolla will jump from 65 to 85 percent,” said Akio Toyoda.
The city of Porto Feliz, neighboring Sorocaba, has a good infrastructure, with access by roads Marechal Rondon and Castelo Branco, and skilled labor. According to the Secretary of Economic Development, Science and Technology, Luiz Carlos Quadrelli, the State Government will increase the provision of technical courses in the region for professional qualification. “In addition to Via Rápida Emprego (Public Employment Program), offering this semester more than 3000 opportunities in training courses for the region, the city of Sorocaba, which already has two Etecs and one Fatec, will receive a new technical school dedicated to the industrial and automotive sector,” he says.
The event was also attended by the Minister of Development, Industry and Commerce, Fernando Pimentel, the Japanese ambassador in Brazil, Akira Miwa, the mayor of Sorocaba, Vitor Lippi, the mayor of Porto Feliz, Cláudio Maffei, the president of Toyota Mercosur, Shunichi Nakanishi, in addition to the employees of Investe SP, who worked in the project of Toyota in Sorocaba and are working in the project of Porto Feliz.
The plant of Sorocaba
Investe SP has been working with Toyota since 2009, when it received from the State Department of Economic Development, Science and Technology the project to settle the company’s new plant in Sorocaba. The plant inaugurated today will have an initial production capacity of 70,000 vehicles per year, able to reach 150,000 at the peak of production, and will have approximately 1,500 employees.
The construction of the third plant of Toyota in Brazil started on September 8, 2010. With an area of 3.7 million square meters and an investment of US$ 600 million, the new plant is located at km 92 of Highway Castelo Branco.
With the arrival of Toyota in Sorocaba, ten companies are building new units around the plant to supply parts and services. A green area will also be developed within the plant and throughout the extension where the suppliers are located.
The Technological Park of Sorocaba, opened in June this year, is located next to the plant. The Park is in an area of 1.2 million square meters in the industrial area, North region of the city, and has research and development institutes, business incubators, laboratories, business center and auditorium. So far, the State Government has invested R$ 13 million.