Forget Horsepower, Toyota Indiana Plant Powered by People

The people of Indiana have always been involved in the auto industry, whether it was Studebaker, Avanti, or more recently Hummer. It is no coincidence then that Toyota would want to put one of their American plants in the great manufacturing state. With over 4.45 million Toyotas coming out of Indiana in the last twenty years, it is safe to say that Toyota USA made a smart move in putting a plant in the Hoosier state. What is the key to the success of Toyota in their Princeton, Indiana plant? It isn't necessarily the quality of the engineering or the assembly lines. Plant president Norm Bafunno gives a simple answer: It is the people.

Speaking of the great culture that is at the Princeton, Indiana plant, Bafunno said, “My first day on the job as president, a team member came up to me and said she would like to talk about a policy the plant had. I thought to myself, ‘oh boy, what’s coming next.’ As it turns out, it wasn’t something she wanted changed that would benefit her, but, rather, she wanted to donate her vacation days to another team member whose son was sick and in the hospital. In a nutshell, that defines who we are.”

The Princeton plant was originally only making the Tundra. With how successful their operation was, the Sequoia, Sienna, Highlander, and Highlander Hybrid are now all made out of this plant. After 20 years of successfully manufacturing these vehicles, you'd think it would be time for a celebration. Going off of the great culture that the plant has, they celebrated 20 years by donating two Siennas to non-profit organizations in the area, Aurora Inc., an organization dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness in the community, and the Gibson County Counsel on Aging, a group that provides transportation to seniors in need.

There is more than just 20 years of operating to celebrate. It is 20 successful years for over 5000 team members to celebrate. Some highlights include:

$4.3 billion investment in the operation

24,058 jobs in Indiana (including direct, intermediate and spin-off employment)

29 top vehicle picks by Consumer Reports

11 J.D. Power Initial Quality Awards and 16 J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Awards

265,000 volunteer hours donated by team members and $23 million in donations to area groups

3 expansions

“From the first Tundra produced to the current vehicle line-up, we are proud of the accomplishments of the Toyota Indiana team members,” said Osamu “Simon” Nagata, executive vice president and chief administrative officer of Toyota Motor North America, Inc. “It is clear the plant has a long and bright future ahead.”

“Our team members’ capability to adapt and to learn and apply those skills each day has enabled those results to occur,” Bafunno says. “It not only helps establish a great reputation, but, also, really builds a bridge to the future.”

Needless to say, us Hawkeyes are proud of our Midwestern counterparts and the commitment to the community that Toyota Indiana has made. For more information about your next Toyota, make sure you visit us or chat with one of our sales representatives at Smart Toyota of Quad Cities.