Toyota, the top-selling lift truck supplier in the United States, announced that its Columbus, Ind., manufacturing plant, Toyota Industrial Equipment Manufacturing Inc. (TIEM), will begin manufacturing the company’s line of diesel tow tractors in May.
“Demand for Toyota’s tow tractors has grown steadily in the North American market in recent years. Manufacturing these products in the USA allows Toyota to better meet our customers’ needs,” said Shankar Basu, president and CEO of Toyota Material Handling USA (TMHU) and a director of TIEM. “By manufacturing domestically, we are improving our speed of delivery for our customers, and helping them keep their operating efficiency as high as possible.”
The now 870,000-square-foot Columbus plant is undergoing a 20,000-square-foot expansion that will accommodate the addition of the diesel tow tractor manufacturing operation. It is the facility’s 11th expansion since the plant opened in 1990. TIEM, the first plant in the U.S. to manufacture Toyota’s tow tractors, employs close to 900 employees, and also produces more than 100 lift trucks daily. TIEM also is responsible for the DC/AC Inverter assembly for the Toyota Tacoma.
“Placing the diesel tow tractor production at the Columbus plant allowed us to take advantage of several natural manufacturing synergies already in place,” said Basu. “The welding of the tow tractor frames and the assembly process are consistent with our lift truck manufacturing processes. TIEM’s proven excellence in manufacturing will lend itself well to the superior production of diesel tow tractors as well.”
Toyota’s diesel tow tractors are available with 4,400- and 5,500-pound drawbar pull capacities. With a powerful 2.4 liter Toyota 1DZ-III diesel engine, these models provide the power to overcome the challenges of hauling large loads at high speed over long distances and up steep ramps and grades. Plus, with fast traveling speeds and a small turning radius, these high-performance tractors bring outstanding maneuverability to any worksite.
The new Toyota 1DZ-III diesel engine used in the 2TD20 and 2TD25 tow tractors has been certified to EPA’s Interim Tier IV standards, which results in 26 percent less particulate matter than today’s required Tier III levels.
TIEM’s Environmental Commitment
TIEM is the embodiment of Toyota’s environmental charter. In 2006, TIEM received the Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence. According to the Governor’s Award citation, TIEM successfully implemented and managed the environmental management system (EMS) to achieve a 33 percent reduction in volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions, 80 percent reduction in hazardous air pollutants (HAP) emissions, 40 percent reduction in energy consumption and a 65 percent reduction in natural gas consumption.
It also implemented recycling initiatives to make it a zero-landfill facility and has increased the amount of recycled items by 70 percent during the last three years. A water-treatment process at the facility has resulted in substantial reduction of pollutants in TIEM’s processed water. The water is cleaner than required by government standards.
In 2007, TIEM also gained a charter member position with the Indiana Environmental Stewardship Program. TIEM also is a member of the Indiana Partners for Pollution Prevention (P2) organization, a voluntary program for Indiana businesses to benchmark and share their success in environmental improvement.
Beyond its own initiatives, TIEM requires their top 65 suppliers, who account for more than 75 percent of the materials purchased locally, to be ISO 14001 certified or have an equivalent environmental management system. TIEM has been ISO 14001 certified since 1998.