---

Toyota SA in R363m parts investment

18 January 2011

Toyota South Africa has announced a R363-million investment in a new parts distribution warehouse – the biggest of its kind on the continent – to serve the car manufacturer's local and regional markets.

The warehouse, to be located near Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport, will employ over 800 people. It is being developed in two phases, with the first set to open in May 2012.

The completion of the second phase of the warehouse, scheduled for completion by 2015, will take the total area of the facility to 80 000 square metres.

Commitment to South Africa

The first round of daily deliveries will go to the over 220 Toyota, Lexus and Hino dealerships in southern Africa. The warehouse is expected to generate a R3-billion turnover and will house an excess of 2.2-million parts.

"The development of a distribution warehouse of this size and scale is one of the clearest signs that we are committed to South Africa and intent on remaining South Africa's most popular vehicle manufacturer," Toyota South Africa Motors CEO Johan van Zyl said in Pretoria this week.

The development follows a five-year, R8-billion investment in Toyota's manufacturing facilities in Durban.

"In making this a reality, we believe that the government, through the actions of the Department of Trade and Industry and the Automotive Production and Development Programme, has created a stable and predictable environment in which we as manufacturers can make investments such as the one that we are announcing today," Van Zyl said.

Source: BuaNews