Following the successful opening of the joint venture plant in Koln, Czech Republic, on May 31, Toyota Peugeot Citroën Automobile president Masatake Enomoto is returning to Japan from July 1, replaced by vice-president for production Satoshi Takae.

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Former lawyer Enomoto was in 2001 appointed as the leader of the project of a small car developed by Toyota and PSA Peugeot Citroën. Later, he participated in the selection of the location for the new car plant and in negotiating conditions with the short-listed countries. His task was to establish the new plant and start production.


Takae, a graduate engineer, has spent his whole career at various production jobs in Toyota’s plants in Tsutsumi (Japan) and TMMK (USA). At TPCA, he supervised the development and installation of production technology for the new plant and then the successful start of production.


In the short term, his task is to reach the full production capacity scheduled for the beginning of 2006 and then make TPCA the top European car plant for quality and efficiency, Toyota said in a statement.


The TPCA move followed similar changes recently at Hyundai’s new US plant in Alabama, where some of the ‘launch’ management personnel have recently been appointed to new roles within the Hyundai Motor group.

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