Toyota Material Handling, U.S.A., (TMHU) celebrated the ground breaking of the expansion of its Columbus, Ind. offices at its manufacturing facility, Toyota Industrial Equipment Mfg, Inc. (TIEM).

When complete in 2013, TMHU’s new headquarters will represent a multi-million dollar investment, adding 21,400 square feet to the TIEM campus. The expanded office space and conference meeting area is designed to support more than 170 TMHU associates.

“Today’s groundbreaking event not only commemorates our new headquarters, but also celebrates a commitment to our customers,” said Jeff Rufener, TMHU president. “TMHU’s new headquarters will bring TMHU and TIEM associates together under one roof, which will combine synergies and allow us to be even more responsive to customer and dealer needs.”

The extended office space is part of Toyota’s strategic initiative, announced in April 2012, to align sales and marketing teams with its manufacturing plant in one centralized location. TMHU’s existing Columbus office is physically connected to TIEM, the plant that builds the majority of Toyota lift trucks sold in North America. When complete, the combined TMHU and TIEM campus will total more than 1 million square feet of manufacturing and support space and house approximately 1,000 Toyota associates.

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