TMMC has been in operation since 1988. TMMC is composed of three different plants — North, West and South, each building a different vehicle. The plants adhere to the Toyota manufacturing process known as the Toyota Production System or TPS. In the first year TMMC opened, 153 vehicles were built. Today, the three plants that make up TMMC have the ability to build over 600,000 vehicles annually. That puts Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada in the number 2 position of all global Toyota manufacturing plants. TMMC employs over 9,000 people. The Cambridge plant opened in 1988, and has been expanded twice since. This was Toyota's second car-assembly plant in North America, after the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky plant in Georgetown, Kentucky which opened in 1987, and the first Toyota assembly plant in Canada. The Cambridge plant in its current configuration covers in space on and the Woodstock plant covers in space on. The Woodstock plant opened in 2008, and is now in full production of Toyota's RAV4. The location was picked due to its educated workforce, proximity to the Cambridge plant, and being adjacent to the major transportation corridors, Highway 401 and Highway 403. TMMC is the first plant outside Japan to produce a Lexus brand vehicle. It is also the first Toyota plant in North America and the only automotive manufacturer in Canada to assemble both advanced technology hybrid and electric vehicles. On March 28, 2012, TMMC announced that would be invested in the Woodstock plant to increase production by 50,000 vehicles a year to a new total of 200,000 vehicles per year. This created 400 new jobs at the plant. On July 24, 2012, Toyota also created 400 new jobs at the Cambridge plant to handle increased production of Lexus RX line in two years to 104,000 vehicles. In April 2015, Toyota announced it would be moving production of the Corolla to a new plant in Mexico, and will expand RAV4 production to the Cambridge plant after 2019.
Unionization efforts
The CAW has attempted several times to organize TMMC. TMMC Assistant General Manager and spokesman Greig Mordue stated "Our team members will decide whether or not a union best reflects their interest... At this point in time, we don't think they have anything to gain from a union", and described the defeat of the CAW drive saying "Our team members have recognized that a third party represents a complication they don't need." Despite this, however, the CAW supported Mordue as the Liberal candidate in the 2006 federal election instead of endorsing the NDP's Zoe Kunschner. Team Members have cited poor health and safety conditions as a major reason for seeking union representation. In August 2014, Unifor announced it was withdrawing an application with the Ontario Labour Relations Board to become the bargaining agent for Toyota employees, and called off a vote to unionize the Woodstock and Cambridge plants.
Awards
Since 2005, TMMC has been named one of Canada's Top 100 Employers for 11 consecutive years by Mediacorp Canada Inc. and has been featured in Maclean's news magazine. TMMC was recognized as one of Waterloo Area's Top Employers, as announced in the Waterloo Region Record, Guelph Mercury and Cambridge Times. TMMC has fourteen J.D. Power and Associates plant quality awards, including the prestigious global Platinum Plant Quality Award in both 2011 and 2014 - at the time it was the only Toyota plant outside Japan to ever win this award. It also has seven Gold awards. TMMC was also recognized by JD Power as having the #1, 3, and 4 best assembly lines in all of North America
