Toyota Motor Corp.’s oldest U.S. manufacturing plant is getting an upgrade, with the company investing $27 million to increase production capabilities.
TABC Inc. in Long Beach, Calif., was founded in 1972 and employs 350 people. It supports the stamping and wielding of parts for the Toyota Tacoma and other vehicles, as well as creating steering columns and catalytic converters.
The new money will go toward equipping TABC with technology that will allow for steel and aluminum blanking on the same line, the company said Wednesday. This will increase the factory’s output to 5.6 million blanks annually.
“TABC has led the way with the different parts it has created since its inception, and this new investment shows that this will continue to be true in the future,” TABC President Jim Zehmer told Automotive News.
The company said the investment will allow 25 variable employees to transition to full-time status. Toyota said that after the new funding, TABC represents a $485 million investment for the company.