Construction at Toyota SA’s new paintshop, one of five commissioned by Toyota Motor Corporation for its global operations, has been completed and, once fully operational, will be key to the Prospecton-based manufacturer’s plans to produce 220 000 units per annum by 2009.
Construction at Toyota SA’s new paintshop, one of five commissioned by Toyota Motor Corporation for its global operations, has been completed and, once fully operational, will be key to the Prospecton-based manufacturer’s plans to produce 220 000 units per annum by 2009.
“This latest generation paint plant brings Toyota South Africa right to the forefront of Toyota Motor Corporation’s vehicle paint technology,” said Toyota SA’s president and chief executive, Dr. Johan van Zyl. “The South African plant has adopted the same advanced paint technology used In TMC’s nine paint plants in Japan.
“Historically the paint process has been an impediment to increasing production at Prospecton. This new paint plant, with its design capacity of 220 000 units per annum, replaces facilities that imposed a volume constraint of a maximum of 130 000 units per annum,” Dr. van Zyl said.
Erected on the site of an existing paint plant, the new facility will, together with another paint plant, initially allow Toyota SA to have a maximum capacity of 130 000 units per year, pushing this figure up to 220 000 once the new facility is fully commissioned. One of the major features of this system is its ability to use metallic water-borne paint for the top coat, which significantly reduces emissions. A non-PVC sealant with reduced chloride emissions has been applied, and underbody sealing is now automated.
The bulk of the specialised equipment was sourced from Japan, with local suppliers contributing about 36 per cent of the machinery.
During the construction of the plant, one of the biggest challenges faced by local contractors was the highly corrosive air in the Durban area, requiring the design team to create a unique, all-concrete structure to limit the impact of the air’s high humidity and high salt content.
Construction of the actual building was completed in December 2005 and the installation of equipment began in January 2006. Pre-production trials started in late August 2006 with the plant ready for commissioning in September 2006 and available for volume production in October 2006, right on schedule.
