[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 60 (Tuesday, May 16, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4614-S4615]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



  (At the request of Mr. Reid, the following statement was ordered to 
be printed in the Record.)

          TEN-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE BUFFALO, WV TOYOTA PLANT

 Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize a 
milestone in my home State of West Virginia. Ten years ago, in 1996, a 
world-renowned automobile company, the Toyota Motor Corp., began 
producing engines and transmissions in my home State, marking the first 
major automobile manufacturing plant in West Virginia. In the following 
10 years, Toyota Motor Manufacturing of West Virginia, TMMWV, has never 
stopped expanding. It now employs more than 1,100 people and has 
invested more than $1 billion in our State.
  But the story actually begins almost 10 years earlier with a series 
of meetings I had with Dr. Shoichiro Toyoda, the son of Toyota's 
founder and its visionary leader for much of the 1980s and 1990s. I met 
Dr. Toyoda's father, the company founder, during my time in Japan in 
the 1960s. He soon introduced me to his son, Shoichiro, who would go on 
to steer Toyota into the 21st century, beginning production of the 
Lexus line and the Prius hybrid, as well as turning Toyota into a truly 
global force in the automobile industry. So in the mid-1980s, very 
early in my Senate career, I began the long, slow process of trying to 
woo this great company and great family to invest in West Virginia as a 
key part of their bold plan for investment in the United States and in 
North America.
  I recall walking through cornfields in Putnam County with the Toyota 
site selection committee--facing the hurdles of excavation, preparation 
of the site, the narrow valley in Buffalo, highway infrastructure, and 
the construction of a bridge to reach the site. By the time Toyota 
decided to make Buffalo its new home, I felt like a full-fledged member 
of that site selection team. The cornfield of those days is now a 
state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, with a spotless parking lot 
outside for the hundreds of West Virginia workers proud to arrive for 
work there every day.
  Many in the company and outside thought this move was a mistake for 
Toyota. They thought that transportation of materials and people to and 
from Buffalo would be too difficult. They thought that West Virginians 
could not do the work.
  But Dr. Toyoda saw what others did not--a strong, smart, and friendly 
workforce and a great place to do business. Although it took many years 
and a number of meetings with my friend Dr. Toyoda--meetings I now look 
back upon fondly--Toyota finally decided to place a production facility 
in West Virginia, and we held our first of many groundbreaking 
celebrations here in 1996.
  Now, Toyota's plant in Buffalo, WV, has gained national and 
international renown. It is the single most productive engine and 
transmission facility in all of North America for 3 years running, 
according to the Harbour Report, which is the auto industry authority 
on manufacturing efficiency and productivity. Toyota has implemented 
more recommendations from its Buffalo workforce than from most of its

[[Page S4615]]

other facilities. In fact, other much larger cities around the country 
are envious of our tremendous success. In The Buffalo News recently, we 
learned that Buffalo, NY, is looking longingly at Buffalo, WV, and its 
enormous success in the automotive industry.
  Toyota is now the second largest automobile producer in the world and 
has expanded six times in West Virginia alone. Our plant has also 
spawned a number of automotive suppliers around the State. Toyota has 
been the anchor to what is now a well-developed supply chain for auto 
parts, serving not only Toyota but also other car manufacturers in the 
United States. All of this growth has taken West Virginia, in just 10 
short years, to its position today as a major center of American 
automotive manufacturing.
  The credit for these great accomplishments goes, first and foremost, 
to the men and women of West Virginia, some of whom drive hours a day 
to work at this plant. But Toyota's management in the United States and 
in Japan has given these workers the tools they need to succeed and 
excel. I extend my gratitude for this coordination and my 
congratulations for 10 years of hard work and great accomplishments.
  Again, Mr. President, I commend the workers and Toyota for 10 years 
of operations in West Virginia. This company, which is a worldwide 
model for any kind of manufacturing, took a risk on West Virginia. But 
their investment has paid enormous dividends, just as I promised my 
friend Dr. Toyoda it would almost 20 years ago.

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