Toyota’s Cambridge, Ontario plant to increase production of Corolla, Matrix

Cambridge, Ontario – Toyota’s Cambridge, Ontario assembly plant will increase production of its popular Corolla sedan and Matrix hatchback by 30,000 vehicles, Toyota announced today. As well, the plant will produce 20,000 next-generation Lexus RX300 sport utility vehicles, bringing its total annual production to 250,000 vehicles.

Today’s announcement means employment will climb to 3,900 by September next year, from the current 3,200. The majority of new hires will be in production, but hiring will occur in maintenance and engineering areas as well.

“This is an exciting and positive time for our company,” says TMMC President Ray Tanguay. “We have to manage increased customer demand for Corolla and Matrix beyond our initial expectations, as well as get ready for Lexus next year. We knew we had winners on our hands with the new models so we are delighted with the increased demand.”

TMMC Chairman Atsushi Niimi, who is also President of Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America Inc. (TMMNA), the headquarters for Toyota’s North American manufacturing operations, says that TMMC’s consistently high quality is built on a strong foundation of teamwork and continuous improvement. The quality and productivity of TMMC has always been high,” said Mr. Niimi. “Canadian workers have proven over and over again that they can manufacture products of the highest standards.”

Lexus will have its own separate welding and paint shops with state-of-the-art technology, including a waterborne paint technology system that is more
environmentally friendly. Until now, one welding shop and one paint shop
have served all of the plant’s production requirements, but the added shops
mean more people will be needed. When Lexus is added, the only shops that
will be shared among products will be stamping and plastics.

The Lexus project has also attracted several companies to southern Ontario
to supply the Toyota plant with various parts, components and products,
including Futaba Industries in Stratford, TG Minto in Palmerston, and Trim
Masters in Elmira. As well, other local suppliers have expanded to service
the growing Toyota account.

TMMC hires new production team members under contract until a long-term
commitment can be made. The company reviews market conditions on an ongoing
basis and adjusts its permanent workforce accordingly. Recently, 300
contracts were moved to permanent status.

Production team members can earn more than $28 an hour at full job rate.

“At TMMC, we hire team members, not merely employees,” says Tanguay. “The
success TMMC and its team members have achieved is the result of a shared
commitment to teamwork, quality products and putting customers first.”

In anticipation of the hiring, TMMC has arranged for applications to be
available at Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) offices in
Kitchener, Cambridge, Brantford and Guelph. Online applications are also
available at www.toyota.ca.

TMMC has been manufacturing vehicles in Cambridge, Ontario since November
of 1988. Investment in the Cambridge plant, which will be more than three
million square feet once the Lexus project is up and running, has reached
more than CAD $3.1 billion to date.