Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Texas Inc

Has anyone done the Plant Tour?

http://www.toyotatexas.com/tour/

 

I haven't done TMMTX yet. But I toured the Camry plant in Georgetown, KY a few years ago.

 

No. but that would be awesome!

 

MY truck went thru once .....!

 

I toured it in Dec of 2014, it's pretty impressive. You'll need a reservation.
Mike

 

Did the tour today. It's free. You need reservations (M-F). Strictly no cell phones / cameras. After an orientation video in the visitor's center, everyone drives their own vehicle to the assembly building. Once there, they drive you around in a little open tram/train and point things out. The tram is moving most of the tour; so, it seemed kind of rushed, to me (others may disagree). The tour does not go to the stamping or paint areas.

Here are some random things they said / I noticed / remember:

• There are 7,200 employees + contractors.
• They make 208,000 Tacomas + Tundras per year.
• They make them both on the same line in 'random' order and configurations.
• There are two shifts. Something like 6a-3p and 6p-3a. 6 days.
• Line workers change tasks/position every 2 hrs. (Also from something like overhead work to something low, etc.)
• The lifting of any piece over 25 lbs (IIRC) is assisted by machine.
• The plant has been 'zero landfill' since 2015, IIRC.
• They stamp all the sheet metal there. There is 180,000 lbs of 'leftover' stamping scrap everyday that is recycled.
• They mold all the plastic trim / body pieces there, too.
• They are assembled in like three different pieces. Cab, bed, frame + power train. (i.e. the fully assembled cab is placed on top of the fully assembled frame, then the fully assemble bed.)
• The Tacoma radiator is assembled as part of the body, while the Tundra radiator is part of the frame.
• They say it takes 20.5 hours from start to finish.
• Truck rolls out every 60 seconds.
• They put in two gallons of gas.
• They are usually shipped out within 24 hours of coming off the line.
• I noticed a not yet installed windshield that was badly cracked. I guess they were in the middle of removing / replacing it from the line. (The line never stopped.)
• I noticed a monitor that said average 13.XX defects (per vehicle, I guess).
• They drive them off the line into parking spots in an inspection area where I assume those defects are found/fixed.

I'm guessing the actual touring of the plant was about 30 minutes. By the end of it I was either starting to get motion sickness from the tram or sick from the odor of all the plastics, parts, etc.

 

Neat

 

That would be fun, I geek out on manufacturing stuff. I toured the Corvette plant a couple of years ago, that was fun.

 

I went in late 2016, while i was waiting for my 2017 to be shipped, mine came from Baja so couldn't watch it get assembled, I still love it, San Antonio or Mexico, they said it didn't matter they are all built by Toyota. Baja plant been building them a lot longer so I would expect practice makes a better product, all I know is this is my 2nd Tacoma and I will probably buy a third in 10 years. Love 'em! BTW, I thot the tour was worth the price!

 

Interesting for sure.

 

Would enjoy going just to feel the pride of brother and sister Americans with meaningful, gainful employment. Job satisfaction is a real thing. (I wonder/hope if the have it?)

 

That's cool stuff.

The assembly line where I work puts about 20 tractors off the line a day. Some of the things at Toyota sound like they would work here, like moving assemblers to other jobs every 2 hours. Toyota is good at what they do, that's for sure.

 

Did they have a suggestion box? any "appreciate your opinion" sheet?
- fill up the transmission
- fill up the differential

 

The Mexican Plant and the Texas Plant are actually quite different, Texas is automated and the Mexican plant is more hands on. I have no idea if there is any difference in overall quality of the finished product but imagine they are probably similar.

 

I was absolutely looking for the tranny filler... never saw it... probably missed a lot of other things while I was looking for it.

 

I did the tour in October, definitely was worth the 3 hour drive from TAMU.