Toyota Manufacturing UK

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For the company responsible for sales and marketing, see Toyota (GB) PLC.
Toyota Motor Manufacturing (UK) Ltd
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryAutomotive
Founded1989
Headquarters
Burnaston, Derbyshire
,
England
Key people
  • Shigeru Teramoto (Managing Director)
  • Sir Alan Jeffrey Jones (Chairman Emeritus)
ProductsAutomobiles
OwnerToyota
Number of employees
3,800
ParentToyota Europe
Websitetoyotauk.com

Established in 1989, Toyota Motor Manufacturing (UK) Ltd is the British manufacturing subsidiary of Toyota. The main factory is at Burnaston in Derbyshire, with an engine factory located in Deeside, North Wales. Construction of the Burnaston factory began in March 1990 after the demolition of Burnaston House, and took almost three years to complete.[1] The factory was officially opened on 4 June 1993 by Prince Charles, almost six months after vehicle production had begun.[2]

History

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The factory's first car, a Carina E, rolled off the production line on 16 December 1992.[3] The first Carina E to be built in the factory is preserved in the British Motor Museum.[4][failed verification] Another Carina E built at the factory clocked up 560,000 miles by November 2019 after being purchased new twenty-two years earlier.[5]

An engine manufacturing factory was opened in September 1992 in Deeside, North Wales, shortly before vehicle production commenced three months later.[6][7] The first batch of the second-generation Avensis built at the factory was exported to Japan from Southampton in July 2003, pending the launch of the vehicle in the Far East that autumn.[8]

Gordon Brown, the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, visited Burnaston on 26 February 2007 to celebrate the launch of the Auris in the UK.[9] TMUK used the occasion to announce an investment of £100 million in its factory in Deeside, to build the petrol engine for the Auris in the future.[10] It was announced in July 2009 that the factory would build the hybrid powered Auris, commencing the following year.[11]

It was announced in October 2008 that the factory had won the contract to build the third-generation Avensis.[12][13] Production of this model generation started the following month, and was launched by the then Secretary of State for Transport, Geoff Hoon MP.[14][15] In June 2011, it was announced that Avensis cars from the factory would be exported to Japan for the first time in eight years.[16][17]

Production of the second-generation Auris began at the factory in November 2012, with a ceremony held to mark the occasion.[18]

George Osborne, the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, visited the Burnaston factory on 7 March 2011 to celebrate the launch of the Auris Hybrid in the UK.[19] Burnaston produced 180,425 cars in 2016, 5.1% fewer than the previous year.[20] It was reported in March 2018 that the plant was operating at 50% of its theoretical maximum three-shift capacity.[21]

Production of the diesel engined Auris ended at Burnaston in December 2017 after nearly eleven years.[22] TMUK also confirmed that it ceased production of the Avensis in June 2018 after more than twenty years.[23][24] Production of the Auris also ended around this time at the factory after eleven years.[25]

Production of the Suzuki Swace at the manufacturing plant was first announced in March 2019 and commenced the following year.[26][27] Production of new cars were suspended by the factory in March 2020 owing to the ongoing global pandemic, with production resuming two months later in May 2020 with measures undertaken.[28][29] Production was again suspended in December 2020 amid the then ongoing travel ban in the country.[30]

Toyota denied plans to pull out of the UK in April 2022 after reports suggested the company had threatened to withdraw due to recent UK government plans to speed up the transition to electric vehicles.[31]

Operations

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The two factories currently employ more than 3,800 staff. The processes at Burnaston currently include stamping (pressing panels from rolls of steel), welding, painting, plastic mouldings (bumpers and instrument panels/dashboards) and assembly and at Deeside machining, assembly and aluminium casting.[32]

At its fastest speed, one car can come off the end of the production line approximately every sixty seconds. Toyota Manufacturing UK, in partnership with Rapid Electronics, organise the Toyota Technology Challenge, a national UK engineering and technology competition for secondary schools.[33]

Production

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Current models

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  • Toyota Corolla (E210)
    Toyota Corolla (E210)
  • Suzuki Swace (E210)
    Suzuki Swace (E210)

Former models

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  • Toyota Carina E (T190)
    Toyota Carina E (T190)
  • Toyota Avensis (T220)
    Toyota Avensis (T220)
  • Toyota Avensis (T250)
    Toyota Avensis (T250)
  • Toyota Avensis (T270)
    Toyota Avensis (T270)
  • Toyota Corolla (E110)
    Toyota Corolla (E110)
  • Toyota Corolla (E120)
    Toyota Corolla (E120)
  • Toyota Auris (E150)
    Toyota Auris (E150)
  • Toyota Auris (E180)
    Toyota Auris (E180)

References

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  1. ^ "Who can remember what was there before Toyota's car factory?". Derby Telegraph. UK. 15 December 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  2. ^ "Toyota formally opens new U.K. plant" (Press release). Toyota. 4 June 1993. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  3. ^ "Britain's oldest Toyota Carina E found!" (Press release). UK: Toyota. 15 February 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  4. ^ "Toyota: celebrating 20 years of car building in the UK" (Press release). UK: Toyota. 22 October 2012. Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  5. ^ Johnson, Robin (18 November 2019). "Car built at Toyota's Derbyshire factory clocks up an incredible 560,000 miles". BusinessLive. UK. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  6. ^ "A Welsh success story we can all be proud of". ITV News. UK. 10 September 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
  7. ^ "Secretary of state for Wales visits Toyota's Deeside plant to celebrate increased engine demand and job creation" (Press release). Europe: Toyota. 1 March 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  8. ^ Carter, Melanie (23 July 2003). "Toyota UK ships first Avensis to Japan". carpages. UK. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  9. ^ "Brown launches UK production of Auris". AM-online. UK. 27 February 2007. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  10. ^ "Toyota £100m safeguards 200 jobs". BBC. UK. 26 February 2007. Retrieved 26 February 2007.
  11. ^ "TMC's U.K. Vehicle Production Base to Build Hybrid Auris" (Press release). Toyota. 17 July 2009. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  12. ^ "Burnaston plant secures Avensis production". AM-online. UK. 3 October 2008. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  13. ^ "Toyota Announces Start Of New Avensis Production At Burnaston" (Press release). UK: Toyota. 7 November 2011. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  14. ^ "Toyota upbeat about latest model". BBC. UK. 21 November 2008. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  15. ^ "Secretary Of State For Transport Launches UK Production Of The All-New Toyota Avensis". The Auto Channel. 21 November 2008. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  16. ^ "Toyota starts production of all-New Avensis in the United Kingdom" (Press release). Europe: Toyota. 20 November 2008. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  17. ^ Radu, Mihnea (24 June 2011). "UK-built Toyota Avensis to Be Exported to Japan". autoevolution. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  18. ^ "Toyota Holds New 'Auris' Line-off Ceremony in U.K." (Press release). Toyota. 5 November 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  19. ^ "TMUK receives Chancellor of the Exchequer at Burnaston plant" (Press release). UK: Toyota. 8 March 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  20. ^ "17 year high for British car manufacturing as global demand hits record levels". London: The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). 26 January 2017. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  21. ^ Lea, Robert (1 March 2018). "Toyota to build new Auris in Britain". The Times. London. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  22. ^ Johnson, Robin (15 December 2017). "Toyota factory near Derby to stop making the Auris but workers shouldn't worry". Derby Telegraph. UK. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  23. ^ Johnson, Robin (27 March 2018). "Could Toyota's factory near Derby be about to stop making the Avensis?". Derby Telegraph. UK. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  24. ^ Johnson, Robin (22 June 2018). "Toyota confirms Derbyshire factory will cease production on one of its models". Derby Telegraph. UK. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  25. ^ Johnson, Robin (28 August 2018). "Toyota factory near Derby to stop making the Auris but workers shouldn't worry". Derby Telegraph. UK. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  26. ^ Rojas, John-Paul Ford (20 March 2019). "Toyota to build new model for Suzuki at UK plant". Sky News. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  27. ^ Morgan-Freelander, Tom (10 November 2020). "Suzuki Swace: Toyota Corolla-based estate priced from £27,499". Autocar. UK. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  28. ^ "Toyota to Suspend Production at European Plants Due to Coronavirus Pandemic" (Press release). UK: Toyota. 18 March 2020. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  29. ^ Johnson, Robin (26 May 2020). "Toyota's Derbyshire car plant to restart operations today after halt due to coronavirus". BusinessLive. UK. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  30. ^ Kreft, Helen (22 December 2020). "Toyota halts production at Burnaston factory amid ongoing chaos at UK border". StaffordshireLive. UK. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  31. ^ Warrick, Jack (4 April 2022). "Toyota denies plans to withdraw from UK car production". Autocar. UK. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  32. ^ "The Facts". UK: Toyota. 27 September 2007. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  33. ^ "Toyota Technology Challenge". Rapid Electronics. 21 June 2008. Archived from the original on 21 June 2008. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
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