Avery Bussell Jr. always thought he’d be a farmer. However, with times on the family farm a little tough in 1988, the 22-year-old threw his name into the mix for a job at a new company that was setting up shop 55 miles away―Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky (TMMK).
Now, 26 years later, Bussell, a group leader on the plant floor, and 7,000 other TMMK team members are celebrating the 10-millionth vehicle manufactured at the Georgetown plant.
At that moment in 1988 Bussell was one of over 100,000 others who were applying for 3,000 jobs. “I didn’t think I had a chance to get hired,” Bussell comments now. “But, I did, and it changed my life. I was worried about my future. I knew Toyota would take care of that; you have that with Toyota – a job for life,” he said.
TMMK is Toyota’s first overseas plant that has achieved this production milestone. In a ceremony at the plant today, the first “Camry” that came off the line in 1988 sat next to the 10-millionth vehicle―also a Camry.
Speaking to a crowd that included team members, community supporters and government dignitaries, plant President Wil James noted: “Obviously, these two vehicles are worlds apart in many ways, but, at the same time, identical in others― particularly when it comes to craftsmanship and the care and love that went into their production.” James added: “The key element is that every car is its own entity―one by one. Our team members have done a phenomenal job of being able to maintain that original DNA.”
Kaneyoshi Kusunoki, TMMK’s first president, had similar remarks at the “first-car ceremony” in May, 1988. “This car is a symbol of our most important company principle―team work. For this reason, I have declared that our first car shall be preserved forever in Kentucky for our team members. It is to remind us not only of what we have accomplished today, but, more importantly, what we can achieve in the future through team work.”
Toyota has invested more than 5.9 billion U.S. dollars in TMMK since its establishment. In 2015, the plant will start producing the Lexus ES 350 luxury sedan, adding 750 new jobs to the team, and increasing by 50,000 the current annual capacity of 500,000 vehicles.
Many people are personally attached to their cars, and so are TMMK team members to the cars they make. Jovonda Williams, engineer in Quality Control commented: “The exciting part is seeing a vehicle you worked on rolling down the street. I feel like I partly own that head-liner,” she said with a laugh, referring to a big piece of her responsibility.
She added: “There is no plan to stop. How long before we celebrate 20 million? We’ve got a new vehicle, Lexus on top of our current mix. It is a great time to be at Toyota.”
