Toyota Motors North America has cut the ribbon to its new North American headquarters in Plano, Texas. The 2.1 million-square-foot facility will be home to more than 4,000 Toyota employees in departments ranging from engineering, sales, and marketing to financial services and corporate leadership. The move centralizes these corporate branches, which are currently spread across the country. The new headquarters is the crown jewel in the company’s “One Toyota” initiative, designed to unify business for more streamlined operations.
President Trump even congratulated the automaker in a statement from the White House, saying he is proud of the work Toyota is doing and “looks forward to supporting the continued growth of its United States operations.” In addition to Trump’s support, Toyota has worked closely with the state of Texas and city of Plano and to make this project a reality. Plano even gave Toyota a $6.7-million grant for building in the city’s Legacy Business Corridor. In return, Plano is expected to see roughly $7.2 billion in positive economic impacts from Toyota’s relocation over the next decade. But not all of Toyota’s building expenses are for brick and mortar. Part of the billon-dollar construction cost is devoted to relocating Toyota employees from their current locations in California and Kentucky. Toyota’s new headquarters is only part of a $10-billion investment over the next five years aimed at improving its U.S. operations and manufacturing facilities. Toyota currently has 10 manufacturing plants in the U.S., along with roughly 1,500 dealerships, 37 finance offices, and 14 R&D and design centers.
Continue reading for info on Toyota’s new U.S. Headquarters.
One Building To Hold Them All
Toyota’s new headquarters is a massive building. It has roughly 2.1 million square feet within several interconnected buildings. The HQ will host not only Toyota, but also Lexus and other branches of the automaker’s tree. At maximum capacity, the campus will house around 4,000 employees.
Like many modern corporate headquarters, Toyota’s North Texas campus was built to achieve the LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. High efficiency and low emissions and waste were driving factors in its design. For example, four parking structures not only offer parking for everyone, but also contain huge cisterns designed to hold 400,000 gallons of rainwater for irrigation use around the 100-acer campus. The landscaping, which includes roughly 1,300 trees, are natural vegetation native to the area. More than 20,000 solar panels produce up to 33 percent of the facility’s daily electrical needs. Much of the remaining electrical needs will be supplied from Texas wind farms.
“Our new campus has fun, unexpected, and even playful features that reflect our commitment to be a world-class leader in innovation with state-of-the-art facilities and cutting-edge technologies,” said Doug Beebe, general manager of real estate and facilities for Toyota Motor North America. “It also is a great example of Toyota’s commitment to environmental sustainability. Because of its architecture, its central location, and the lively, flourishing community around it, we can share ideas and make great things happen here. We are proud of this campus because we have designed it to allow team members to get out of their office space and come together. And, that’s really the spirit of One Toyota.”
The move into the new facility will be completed in stages, with the last employees arriving by December 2017.