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Toyota Announces Site For $85 Million Midwest Parts Center

18 December 1998

Toyota Announces Site For $85 Million Midwest Parts Center

    COVINGTON, Ky., Dec. 17 -- Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
(TMS) today announced the site selected for an $85-million,
843,000-square-foot Midwest Parts Center (MPC) to be located in the Greater
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area.  An 86-acre site located in the Airpark
West development in Hebron, Kentucky, will soon take shape as the company's
largest parts procurement and distribution facility under one roof.
    The center will consolidate parts from Toyota's North American suppliers
for distribution to dealership service departments in the U.S. and overseas.
It is expected to employ approximately 370 people with a projected annual
payroll of $15.5 million.
    "Since 1986, Toyota has built more than 6 million cars in North America,
with current production nearing a million per year" said Toyota Motor Sales
President Yoshio Ishizaka.  "So many locally built Toyotas mean a growing
demand for locally sourced parts from 350 domestic suppliers to service them.
The Midwest Parts Center will be a very visible symbol of Toyota's commitment
to North America."
    Kentucky Governor Paul Patton and other state and local officials joined
Toyota executives for the announcement.
    "The Toyota Midwest Parts Center is another example of Kentucky's
commitment to economic growth and Toyota's commitment to Northern Kentucky and
the Greater Cincinnati area," commented Patton.
    The MPC site is located in unincorporated northern Boone County on State
Highway 237, across from the Levi Strauss distribution center and less than
one mile south of Interstate 275.  Airpark West is a development of Hemmer
Construction Company of Fort Mitchell, Kentucky.  Toyota also announced the
selection of Moffat Nichol Bonney Architects of Portland, Oregon.  A general
contractor has not yet been selected.
    Toyota officials acknowledged the continued efforts of The Tri-County
Economic Development Corporation (Tri-ED) in making Northern Kentucky a
responsive place for new business.
    "Toyota's newest facility in Boone County is another example of the
international investment occurring in Northern Kentucky and the Greater
Cincinnati region," said Tri-ED president Danny G. Fore.  "Tri-ED is delighted
to have another member of the Toyota family join the region's business
community."
    In appreciation for the community's support of this new project, Toyota
Motor Sales President Yoshio Ishizaka and Chuck Brown, vice president of
finance for Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America, presented a check for
$100,000 to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center on behalf of
Toyota.
    "Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky have always extended a warm welcome to
Toyota," said Ishizaka.  "In appreciation to this community, Toyota is pleased
to support the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, which will help
foster interracial cooperation around the world and promote respect for the
tremendous diversity found in the United States."
    Toyota's decision to establish a Midwest Parts Center reflects the
company's ever-increasing procurement of North American-sourced parts for its
manufacturing and service operations.  It will be the second North American
parts center operated by the North American Parts Logistics Division (NAPLD)
of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. (TMS), the sales and marketing arm of
Toyota in the United States.  In addition to providing North American-sourced
parts for Toyota and Lexus customers in the U.S., the Midwest Parts Center
also will export parts to Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
    The Ontario Parts Center (OPC) in Ontario, California, currently Toyota's
largest parts center, will primarily distribute parts sourced from Japan, the
Pacific Rim, and U.S. west coast when the Midwest facility is completed.
    The Midwest Parts Center is the latest of several Toyota operations in the
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area.  Those include:

    * Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America, Inc. (TMMNA) in Erlanger, KY
    * Toyota Motor Sales, Cincinnati Region, in Cincinnati, OH
    * TMS Parts Distribution Center in Cincinnati, OH
    * Toyota Motor Credit Corporation (TMCC), Cincinnati Branch
    * Toyota Motor Insurance Services (TMIS) Central Region in Cincinnati, OH

    Upon completion of the Midwest Parts Center, the six Toyota facilities in
Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky will employ more than 1,400 area
residents with a combined payroll of $85 million.  In addition, the seven
Cincinnati area Toyota and Lexus dealers employ 565 people and have a combined
investment of $17.8 million.