Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama in the United States is celebrating the production of five million engines.
If the engines were lined up side by side over the 14-year period they were produced, they would stretch from Huntsville, Alabama to Los Angeles in California, Toyota says.
“Five million, that’s incredible. You just don’t think in those terms,” says Theodore Bridgeforth, a group leader and original team member who helped produce the first engine in 2003.
“It was special, seeing the first engine go from months of planning and design to actually coming off the line. And while we now make a lot more product, the same care and quality goes into each engine – that has not changed.”
In 15 years, the plant has expanded four times, multiplying employment from 300 to nearly 1500.
With 702,014 engines built in 2016 in what was a record breaking year, Toyota Alabama produces engines for the Camry, RAV4, Highlander, Tacoma, Tundra and Sequoia.
Those engines are shipped to three of Toyota’s assembly plants in the US including operations in Indiana, Kentucky and Texas.
“On one hand it is hard to fathom we have built five million engines,” says David Fernandes, plant president.
“However, when you take into account the dedication and craftsmanship of our team members, it isn’t so hard to believe. They have met every challenge and continue to build an incredible product in a safe and efficient way.”
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