Toyota announces decision to send Kentucky-based Venzas to South Korea

Toyota is exporting its Kentucky-based Venzas to South Korea, a move that the company hopes will maximize its potential in the U.S., and also dampen the yen abroad. Bloomberg News has the full story. What do you think of Toyota’s decision to send a new model overseas?

Toyota Sends Venzas to South Korea, Boosting U.S. Exports

By Alan Ohnsman – Nov 14, 2012 7:37 PM ET

Toyota Motor Corp. (7203) is making good on a plan to boost U.S. exports by shipping Kentucky-built Venzas to South Korea, helping Asia’s largest carmaker maximize use of factories in North America and blunt the yen’s impact.

The company’s plant in Georgetown, Kentucky, is producing a version of the midsize wagon for South Korea, where it already sends U.S.-produced Camry sedans and Sienna minivans, Toyota said yesterday in a statement. Toyota expects exports of U.S.- built vehicles to reach a record, increasing 52 percent this year to more than 130,000 cars and trucks, the company said.

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Toyota Motor Corp. is making good on a plan to boost U.S. exports by shipping Kentucky-built Venzas to South Korea, helping Asia’s largest carmaker maximize use of factories in North America and blunt the yen’s impact. Photographer: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Bloomberg

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The Venza exports help “maintain Toyota’s strong, stable base of U.S. jobs,” Bob Carter, U.S. senior vice president, said in the statement. “We look forward to other opportunities to continue expanding exports from our American operations.” Photographer: Peter Foley/Bloomberg

The Venza exports help “maintain Toyota’s strong, stable base of U.S. jobs,” Bob Carter, U.S. senior vice president, said in the statement. “We look forward to other opportunities to continue expanding exports from our American operations.” The Kentucky manufacturing operation is Toyota’s largest outside of Japan and employs about 6,600 people.

Toyota, along with Japan-based Honda Motor Co. (7267) and Nissan Motor Co. (7201), has been shifting more production to North America to counter the yen’s almost 30 percent rise against the dollar in the past five years, including opening a Corolla small-car plant in Mississippi, moving Highlander sport-utility vehicle production to Indiana and expanding Lexus RX SUV output in Canada. Last week, Toyota said it would make small cars with Mazda Motor Corp. (7261) in 2015 at a plant Mazda is building in Mexico.

Yoshimi Inaba, chairman of Toyota’s U.S. sales unit, in January said the company intended to make North America a global export base.

We’re at FABTECH!

We’re having a great time at FABTECH 2012!

The event is being held at the Las Vegas Convention Center November 12-14, 2012, and we’re at Booth C5950. We’ll keep you posted!

You can also check out the Fabtech website and see what’s going on: http://www.fabtechexpo.com/

NAM: We must work together to improve America

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The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) President and CEO Jay Timmons released a powerful statement following the results of the 2012 election, highlighting the importance of working together to get the economy moving. Definitely worth a read. What do you all think about the outcome of this election? What do you want to see changed or improved in the coming years?

Manufacturers: Time for America to Come Together

Leadership Needed in Both Parties to Get Economy Moving

Contact:
Jeff Ostermayer (202-637-3090)

11/07/12 –  The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) President and CEO Jay Timmons released the following statement on the results of the 2012 election:

“Our country faces many challenges in the days and months ahead, and manufacturers continue to stand ready to work with President Obama. The President talked about manufacturing throughout his campaign as he has during his first term in office, and we will continue to urge the Administration to achieve real results to bring about a manufacturing renaissance.

We’ll work with the Administration to double exports, on ways to strengthen our workforce and prepare Americans for jobs in modern manufacturing. We will also continue to make our case for pro-growth energy and tax policies, and for common-sense regulation.

Manufacturers also congratulate the new members of the 113th Congress. There is much work ahead of us, and manufacturers are ready to help the President and all elected leaders succeed in turning our economy around. After all, it is time for our nation to heal and for Americans to come together.”

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Manufacturers: speak out on election day

The National Association of Manufacturers has shared a video encouraging manufacturers, their employees, and anyone interested in the manufacturing industry to speak out on election day.

The video stresses the large role that manufacturing plays in the US, and highlights the importance of the manufacturing sector showing up at the polls to make a pro-manufacturing impact on the next four years.

What do you think of the video – will it encourage more manufacturers to vote? Are you getting to the polls on Tuesday? We’ve shared the article below, but you can also read the full article on NAM’s website here.

Manufacturers: Make the Manufacturing Voice Heard on Election Day

New Video Pushes for Americans to Vote for Pro-Manufacturing Candidates on Election Day

Contact:
Jeff Ostermayer (202-637-3090)

11/01/12 –  With the election just five days away, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) has released a new video to encourage manufacturers, their employees and those who care about manufacturing to make their voices heard. Manufacturing has been at the center of the presidential race as well as numerous congressional races throughout the country due to its outsized role in our economic recovery. But now America is teetering with manufacturers shedding jobs the past few months, and with the looming fiscal abyss, the NAM wants to make sure pro-manufacturing candidates are elected on November 6.

“On Tuesday, millions of Americans will go to the polls to decide the direction of our great nation, and the stakes are high,” said NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons. “America is at stake. America’s economic security and prosperity depend on the success of the manufacturing economy. The 12 million men and women who make things in America can achieve great things with the right policies to encourage investment and job creation here in the United States. Manufacturers have a stake in our country’s direction, and it’s imperative we get to the polls on Tuesday.”

The video is part of a final push from manufacturers leading up to Election Day to remind voters of the critical role manufacturing plays in job creation and the overall economy. Manufacturers are urging voters to get engaged by visiting the NAM’s Election Center website and using the NAM’s new nonpartisan voter guide, which provides a side-by-side comparison of where candidates stand on critical manufacturing issues.

The NAM has undertaken a yearlong effort to empower voters during this critical election and provide them with all the tools they need to vote for the candidates who will stand up on behalf of manufacturing here in Washington. The NAM has dedicated unprecedented resources to empower manufacturers, and our efforts will continue through Election Day, Inauguration Day and into the new Congress and Administration. To learn more and become a key voice for manufacturing, visit the NAM’s Election Center website here.

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