MOTORING NEWS - Japanese automaker Toyota has announced that it has invested over R6,1bn to facilitate production of the all-new Hilux and Fortuner at its Prospecton plant in Durban.
Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) manufactures no fewer than five individual models (Hilux, Fortuner, Corolla, Corolla Quest and Quantum) in CKD or complete-knock-down form, as well as selected Hino and Dyna models produced as SKD or semi-knocked-down assemblies.
Investment breakdown
This latest announcement represents the biggest single investment Toyota has made to date. Unpacking the R6,1bn investment - R1,9bn relates to supplier tooling, R1,4bn to in-house tooling and the remaining amount to investment in in-house facilities and buildings to cater for the new press machines.
Toyota's component plants (sited across the road from the main plants) also had to undergo some major 'facilitisation' with the ladder frame or chassis plant being completely reworked for the newly designed chassis which is a unique selling point of the new models.
Investment breakdown
This latest announcement represents the biggest single investment Toyota has made to date. Unpacking the R6,1bn investment - R1,9bn relates to supplier tooling, R1,4bn to in-house tooling and the remaining amount to investment in in-house facilities and buildings to cater for the new press machines.
Toyota's component plants (sited across the road from the main plants) also had to undergo some major 'facilitisation' with the ladder frame or chassis plant being completely reworked for the newly designed chassis which is a unique selling point of the new models.
It was also an opportune time to introduce new global equipment which provide improved accuracy, quality and process stability, while at the same time increasing the automation levels at this facility.
New facilities were installed for the manufacture of a variety of other in-house components including the new instrument panel, exhaust assembly, brake and clutch assembly, rear bumper reinforcement, catalytic converter, rear and front axle assemblies as well as the painted resin front bumpers.
New facilities were installed for the manufacture of a variety of other in-house components including the new instrument panel, exhaust assembly, brake and clutch assembly, rear bumper reinforcement, catalytic converter, rear and front axle assemblies as well as the painted resin front bumpers.
It's worth noting that the previous Hilux and Fortuner models had in the region of 1,500 local parts and for the new models, this number has swelled to 2,700.
This has had a direct knock-on benefit for production capacity at the Prospecton plant which has now increased from 120,000 p.a. to 140,000 p.a. Hilux and Fortuner are core vehicles for Toyota locally from both a brand and production perspective, and hence contribute a sizeable 80% of total production volume.
This has had a direct knock-on benefit for production capacity at the Prospecton plant which has now increased from 120,000 p.a. to 140,000 p.a. Hilux and Fortuner are core vehicles for Toyota locally from both a brand and production perspective, and hence contribute a sizeable 80% of total production volume.
Sales volumes for Hilux are estimated to be in the region of 3,400 per month with Fortuner forecast to achieve an average of 1,100 retail units per month.
