Toyota opens first new plant in Japan in almost 20 years
 

<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/japan/" rel="tag">Japan</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/plants-manufacturing/" rel="tag">Plants/Manufacturing</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/toyota/" rel="tag">Toyota</a></p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/16/toyota-opens-first-new-plant-in-japan-in-almost-20-years/"><img alt="Toyota badge and store sign" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/10/toyota-emblem-with-sign-630.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; margin: 4px 0px; width: 630px; height: 388px;" /></a><br />
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The Yen is soaring, and that means it's costing <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/japan/">Japanese</a> manufacturers a lot of money to sell goods here in the United States. Some are moving areas of production to other countries, yet <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/make/toyota/">Toyota</a> has decided to open its first new Japanese manufacturing facility in nearly 20 years.<br />
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Toyota's newest facility is called the Miyagi factory and it sits 160 miles north of Tokyo. Currently, production there is limited to work on the <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/model/yaris">Yaris</a>, but Toyota plans to add two more compact vehicles by April.<br />
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This new facility is designed to cut energy demand and speed up production efforts. Cars are positioned parallel to each other on the line rather than nose to tail. This allows work to be done on both the front and rear of the vehicles simultaneously. Time on the assebmly line has been cut 35 percent because of this move.<br />
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Changes to production and facilities, like the ones employed in the new Miyagi factory, will help Toyota reduce its capital spending by as much as 40 percent. A huge savings for a Japanese manufacturer that's patiently waiting for the U.S. Dollar to play catch up with the Yen.<br />
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[Source: <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/16/us-toyota-idUSTRE71F4S020110216" target="_blank">Reuters</a>]<p style="padding:5px;backgr ound:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/18/toyota-opens-first-new-plant-in-japan-in-almost-20-years/">Toyota opens first new plant in Japan in almost 20 years</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.autoblog.com">Autoblo g</a> on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 07:59:00 EST. Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/16/us-toyota-idUSTRE71F4S020110216>Rea d</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/18/toyota-opens-first-new-plant-in-japan-in-almost-20-years/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/forward/19847891/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/18/toyota-opens-first-new-plant-in-japan-in-almost-20-years/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>

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