Last week, Toyota opened its new North American headquarters in Texas, three years after revealing the move.
The headquarters was constructed on 100 acres throughout Plano in the northern part of Texas. From the announcing of the head office, Toyota has spent approximately $1 billion on the new center and moved thousands of employees. The grand opening shows up as Toyota commemorates 60 years in the U.S. this year.
The move brings several branches together into one building, consisting of quality engineering, sales, marketing, monetary services, and corporate functions. “With staff member from 4 different companies together in one campus area, our company believe this will influence greater collaboration, development, and much faster decision making as we rely on and lead the future of mobility, all with an eye on our customers,” said Toyota’s North America CEO Jim Lentz.
Toyota started moving workers to the Plano center in late spring, although building is still finishing up. By the end of the year, 4,000 workers from near and far will have settled into the brand-new facility. Not all the initial staff members decided to make the move, but Toyota states it has actually filled more than 75 percent of its open positions in Plano.
Prior to announcing the move to Texas, Toyota was headquartered in the Los Angeles city for 57 years. The relocation impacted a few thousand workers from Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. in Torrance, California, in addition to employees from Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America in Erlanger, Ky. and other regions.
The new office houses seven structures brought together by a big central courtyard. The center received LEED Platinum certification from the United States Green Building Council, as it has over 20,000 solar panels, a rainwater harvesting system with as much as 400,000 gallons to use in irrigation, and dry spell resistant plants.
During the next 5 years, Toyota will invest $10 billion in its U.S. operations, consisting the Plano headquarters and other centers.
