Toyota Named Columbus Area Company of the Year

Toyota, Irvine, Calif., reports its Columbus, Ind., manufacturing plant, Toyota Industrial Equipment Mfg., Inc. (TIEM), was recognized as “Company of the Year” by the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce. TIEM was presented the award at the chamber’s 103rd annual meeting on Feb. 2, 2012.

Each year, the chamber bestows a number of awards of distinction in order to foster a culture of excellence. These awards recognize extraordinary contributions from the business community that reflect positively on the quality and expertise of the Columbus, Ind., community. TIEM was selected as the “Company of the Year” because of distinctive accomplishments that impacted associates, the community and the marketplace.

The Chamber recognized TIEM’s accomplishments, which include:

• The establishment of a recovery plan soon after Japan’s 2011 earthquake and tsunami that adjusted work schedules and allowed associates to continue 40-hour work weeks.
• TIEM’s zero-landfill facility designation achieved by shifting to a waste-to-energy facility and implementing recycling programs.
• The addition of new risk assessment training, which resulted in a 65 percent reduction in safety incidents.
• The integration of a Total Plant Maintenance Program that reduced emergency repairs to just 11 percent of overall maintenance performed in 2009 and enabled the cost-per-hour of downtime to be reduced by 10 percent in the same period.