Hino Commemorates 10th Anniversary of Manufacturing Plant in Canada, Plans Further Expansion
Published On Apr 11, 2016
Recently, Hino's Canadian arm acknowledged the 10th anniversary of its plant in the town of Woodstock, Ontario. The company is now planning to expand its manufacturing presence in the town, and strengthen its overall working efficiency for the coming years.
On the backdrop of the occasion, the plant's manager, Derek Holman revisited the factory's earlier days. “Assembly started here in Woodstock in 2006 with a small team of about 30 people. It has grown to almost 80 people today,” Holman said.
Len Magyar, development commissioner for the city of Woodstock also reminisced over the earlier days of the plant, and the rapidness of their growth over the past decade. “I can remember…when we started about this facility potentially coming to Woodstock. It’s been a great ride, they’ve grown – so employment has grown – now they’re talking about expansion,” he said.
Hino is planning to add another 43,000 square feet to the plant, and the process is said to start in a few weeks. Many other changes would also be taking place in the facility, including a lightening of the cabs that pass through the lines. “It’s going to be what we call a naked cab. Nothing inside. We will then have to dress the cab ourselves here. It gives us an opportunity for costs savings in the future with more local purchasing. Second reason is it’s going to reduce the time it takes for a customer to receive a truck,” said Mr Holman.
“We do a lot of localization from parts that were initially sourced from Japan, for cost reduction and logistics reduction,” said Darren Mackey, assistant manager for manufacturing and technical support. This process helps the workers attend to trivial problems from the parts in a more efficient manner. “If there’s an issue with the product or the part, it can be dealt with in a more timely fashion,” said manufacturing coordinator Jamie Butcher. “We have come a long way as far as getting local suppliers, compared to when we first started,” he added.
See Also:
Hino's dealership in Adelaide, Australia celebrates its 45th anniversary
Hino Conducts Two-day Training Program on Vehicle Emission System
