Toyota Boshoku America, a member of the Toyota Group of businesses, announced on Aug. 28 that will build a new plant in Itawamba County, Miss., to supply seats, door panels and carpet to the Toyota Highlander Sport Utility Vehicle plant in Tupelo, Miss. The plant will employ approximately 500 workers and be operational by 2010.
The Toyota Boshoku America Mississippi plant will be 341,000 square feet and located on 40 acres in an industrial park off of Highway 78 that is 24 miles east of the Toyota Highlander plant in Blue Springs, Miss. A new access road to the plant will be constructed by October 2008, to ensure smooth traffic flow.
"We are very proud to join our fellow Toyota companies in Mississippi and locate our newest plant in the U.S. in Itawamba County, Miss., for many reasons, including the region's talented and dedicated workforce and its proximity to the Toyota Highlander SUV plant," said Kiyoshi "Nate" Furuta, Chairman and CEO, Toyota Boshoku America, Inc. "Toyota Boshoku America is a growing company and we plan to continue to meet customer demand by expanding our presence and sales in the U.S."
The new plant will use state-of-the-art technology to minimize the use of water, electricity and natural gas. The Toyota Boshoku Corp. pioneered the use of the Kenaf plant, a fast-growing annual plant that absorbs carbon dioxide, in manufacturing door trims for vehicle interiors, according to a company statement. Toyota Boshoku now supplies Kenaf-based boards to interior parts factories all over the world.
