Toyota Australia launched its new generation Camry to workers at a spectacular event at its Altona manufacturing plant.
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The ‘down under’ unit supplies both right- and left-hand drive cars to Asia-Pacific and Middle Eastern markets and the line-off event is a Toyota tradition for manufacturing employees to celebrate the launch of the fully redesigned model, which is now the only four-cylinder car built in Australia. It differs in details such as nose styling from Camry models built elsewhere.
More than 2000 employees were on hand for the event.
Toyota Australia president and CEO Ted Okada said the Camry manufacturing line-off was the culmination of $A450m investment in the facilities and technologies by the automaker.
“Toyota Australia is entering one of the most exciting periods in its history of manufacturing in this country. To make these cars, we had to revolutionise the Altona plant. Today, we have a plant that is unique by integrating many components of car making into a compact location. This makes us an effective and efficient manufacturing operation.”
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By GlobalDataThe new Camry will be followed later in the year by the Australian built six-cylinder Aurion sedan, which replaces both previous V6 Camry models and the unique locally-developed Avalon. This car shares some styling features with Camry models built in China.
Okada said the company was committed to manufacturing in Victoria, which is the historic home of the Australian motor industry.
“We have been building Toyotas in Australia for more than 40 years – longer than any country outside of Japan – and our latest investment shows our confidence in this nation’s future,” said Okada.
“It is our intention to grow the business, increase domestic market share and develop new export markets, so the logistics of manufacturing and shipping are vital to our efficient operation in Victoria.
“We have a great opportunity with the new model Camry, which is the only four-cylinder car built in Australia, and we believe the forthcoming Aurion will spark a revival in the large car segment.”
Most of Toyota’s investment has been channelled into new and updated facilities and equipment at Altona in Melbourne’s western suburbs.
It includes the relocation of the last operations from the historic Port Melbourne manufacturing site where Toyotas were produced from 1963 to 1994.
Bumper manufacture and painting has been transferred to a recently commissioned facility built specifically at Altona using the latest injection-moulding equipment and environmentally friendly water-borne paint techniques.
Sub-assembly work, including fuel tanks, has been moved from Port Melbourne to a new unit plant at Altona.
Other building work at Altona included an extension to the parts distribution centre, an upgrade of the paint shop and the creation of a new logistics centre to coordinate all movements to and from the site.
A major investment in the plant has been the creation of a new highly automated global body line, on which the bodies of the new Camry and Aurion are made.
Toyota’s new global body line is a major departure from the previous flexible body line and has resulted in greater efficiency, quality and production flexibility.
More than 240 welding robots are employed on the global body line at Altona compared with 104 on the old line.
A $A46m press plant upgrade has seen the commissioning of additional A0 presses, which are the largest in the southern hemisphere, as well as two new 800-tonne presses for smaller parts and the installation of five new robots.
Toyota Australia has expanded its workforce and is still recruiting new staff to cope with additional production volume.
