Bodine Aluminum casting plants part of $750 million Toyota investment
Toyota announced investment plans of nearly $750 million at five of its plants as part of a pledge to invest $13 billion in its U.S. operations by 2021. AFS Corporate Member Bodine Aluminum’s Troy, Missouri, foundry is set to receive $62 million and its Jackson, Tennessee, foundry to receive $50 million.
The infusion of capital at the Troy aluminum casting facility will go toward the purchase of equipment to produce an additional 864,000 cylinder heads for Toyota’s New Global Architecture (TNGA). This plant currently produces more than 3 million cylinder heads a year for every Toyota and Lexus made in North America.
In Jackson, the investment will include a building expansion and equipment to double the capacity of hybrid transaxle cases and housings to 240,000 annually and provide equipment to produce an additional 288,000 engine blocks per year for TNGA. Currently, the Jackson aluminum foundry produces 1.7 million engine blocks and 580,000 transmission cases and housings per year.
The TNGA program was announced in 2013, aiming to design vehicles with a common platform and parts shared across multiple models.
The other investments announced include adding the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid and Lexus ES 300h hybrid vehicle production at its Georgetown, Kentucky, manufacturing plant; expanding engine capacity at its Huntsville, Alabama, facility; and doubling hybrid transaxle capacity at its plant in Buffalo, West Virginia.
“These latest investments represent even more examples of our long-term commitment to build where we sell,” said Jim Lentz, chief executive officer for Toyota Motor North America. “By boosting our U.S. manufacturing footprint, we can better serve our customers and dealers and position our manufacturing plants for future success with more domestic capacity.”