Site Preparation Underway for $160 Million Automotive Plant in Arkansas

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Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Incorporated Houston, Texas). Hino Motors Limited (HINOY.PK) (Hino, Tokyo), has started site preparation for a $160 million automotive parts manufacturing plant in Marion, Arkansas, located on a 160-acre tract in the Railport Industrial Park in Crittenden County.

Site preparation began in July 2004 for a 400,000 square foot manufacturing plant. Construction of a steel-framed pre-engineered building is expected to start in September. Operations are expected to begin Fall 2006, employing 280 the first year. Plans for expansion are being discussed if the company's sales meet their expectations.

The plant will make differentials, rear axles, and suspension-related parts for 300,000 Toyota trucks a year at the new Toyota assembly plant being built in San Antonio, Texas. Toyota Motor Manufacturing Company, with U.S. headquarters in Erlanger, Kentucky, initially planned to build a new plant in Arkansas, but in the end chose San Antonio, Texas for its $800 million Truck and SUV assembly plant. Toyota helped sell the Arkansas region to other Japanese companies to build and expand. Hino indicated the expanse of land near interstate highways, rail lines, and the Mississippi River was a key factor in its decision to build in Arkansas.

Hino Motors Manufacturing U.S.A. Incorporated (Corona, California) (HMM), a subsidiary of Hino Motors Limited (Hino, Japan) will operate the new plant.

Lockwood Greene, headquartered in Spartanburg, South Carolina was awarded the engineering and construction contract for the new plant.

Hino Motors Limited, founded in 1910, established in 1942, in Hino, Tokyo, manufactures diesel trucks and buses, special-purpose vehicles, marine and industrial diesel engines, and commissioned vehicles for Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC). Hino Motors is a consolidated subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation, in which Toyota has a 51% stake. Hino currently employees roughly 20,764 people, with net sales as of March 2003 reaching $850.32 billion. Hino currently has manufacturing plants in Tokyo and Gunma, Japan, Indonesia, and the United States.

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