Toyota’s Columbus, Ind., manufacturing plant, Toyota Industrial Equipment Mfg., Inc. (TIEM), was recognized as “Company of the Year” by the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce. TIEM was presented the award at the chamber’s 103rd annual meeting on Feb. 2, 2012. This honor recognizes accomplishments achieved last year in the face of some of business’s top challenges. These include:
• The establishment of a recovery plan soon after Japan’s 2011 earthquake and tsunami, adjusting work schedules and allowing associates to continue 40-hour work weeks.
• TIEM’s zero-landfill facility designation, achieved by shifting to a waste-to-energy facility and implementing recycling programs.
• The addition of new risk assessment training, which resulted in a 65 percent reduction in safety incidents.
• The integration of a Total Plant Maintenance Program that reduced emergency repairs to just 11 percent of overall maintenance performed in 2009 and enabled the cost-per-hour of downtime to be reduced by 10 percent in the same period.
“Toyota is very honored by this recognition,” said Toshiya Yamagishi, president of TIEM. “As a company, we are committed to enhancing our associates’ quality of life and contributing to the overall success of our community.”
Each year, the chamber bestows a number of awards to recognize extraordinary contributions from the business community that reflect positively on the quality and expertise of the Columbus, Ind., community. TIEM was selected because its accomplishments contributed to the welfare of associates, the community and the marketplace.
