ERLANGER: In an organizational move providing more regional autonomy to Toyota's North American manufacturing operations, the company is making appointments resulting in increased local leadership at its plants.
"These changes allow us to move faster and more efficiently in key decision-making," said Tetsuo Agata, president of Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America (TEMA). "This is a natural progression for a global company, and I am pleased we are designating more responsibility to a seasoned group of Toyota veterans."
The appointments listed below are effective July 1 unless noted, pending approval by the Toyota Motor Corporation board of directors on June 24:
- Ray Tanguay, currently president of the Ontario plant, is appointed chairman there;
- Steve St. Angelo, currently president of the Kentucky and Mississippi plants, is appointed chairman of the Kentucky plant, and on August 1 will be appointed chairman of the Mississippi plant;
- Brian Krinock is appointed president of the Ontario plant;
- Wil James is appointed president of the Kentucky plant;
- Masafumi Hamaguchi is appointed president of the Mississippi plant, beginning August 1;
- Norm Bafunno is appointed president of the Indiana plant;
- Chris Nielsen is appointed president of the Texas plant;
- Karl Kusturok is appointed vice president of production engineering at TEMA;
- Phil Rodi is appointed vice president of manufacturing in Ontario.
Bafunno and Nielsen are replacing Japanese presidents in
Indiana and
Texas, respectively.
About Toyota:
Toyota (NYSE: TM) established operations in North America in 1957 and currently operates 13 manufacturing plants. A 14th plant is under construction in Mississippi and will open in fall 2011. There are more than 1,800 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealerships in North America which sold more than 2.05 million vehicles in 2009. Toyota directly employs more than 35,000 in North America and its investment here is currently valued at more than $23 billion, including sales and manufacturing operations, research and development, financial services and design. Toyota's annual purchasing of parts, materials, goods and services from North American suppliers totals more than $25 billion. Toyota currently produces 12 vehicles in North America, including the Avalon, Camry, Corolla, Highlander, Matrix, RAV4, Sienna, Sequoia, Tacoma, Tundra, Venza and the Lexus RX 350. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyota.com or www.toyotanewsroom.com.
