Updated — Auto Parts Manufacturing Mississippi Inc., a Tier 1 supplier owned by Japan's Toyota Auto Body Co. Ltd., is investing $100 million and creating 50 jobs at its 517,000-square-foot facility in Guntown, Miss.
The investment is driven by increased production for the 2019 Toyota Corolla, which is produced at automaker's manufacturing facility in Blue Springs, Miss.
APMM was established in 2007 as a Tier 1 parts supplier to Toyota Mississippi. The Guntown facility has been in operation since 2010 and manufactures stamped, welded and resin-painted parts, including the upper and lower instrument panels and front and rear bumpers for the Corolla.
In April, Toyota Mississippi announced it was investing $170 million in retooling efforts and creating 400 jobs over the next year at its Blue Springs plant to support production of the 12th generation Corolla. APMM houses its instrument panel resin process on-site at the facility, which has about 2,000 employees.
At APMM, new and modified equipment is being installed, according to Kim Crumbie, the automotive parts supplier's manufacturing general manager. This includes machinery and tooling for instrument panels and bumpers, plus stamping dies and robot cells for welded parts.
The facility currently uses a 2,600-ton injection molding press from Ube Machinery Inc. for the instrument panel production and a 3,000-ton press to mold the front and rear bumpers, Crumbie said in an Oct. 11 email to Plastics News.
APMM's Guntown facility currently employs 380. The 50 additional jobs should be filled by December.
“We at APMM are excited about this announcement and expansion of our operations in Mississippi,” he said. “The expansion will retool and prepare APMM for the increased production for the 2019 Toyota Corolla.”
