The final Toyota Camry left the Altona plant on October 3, 2017.
Sowing “seeds for the future” following a factory closure.
In February 2014, Toyota Motor Corporation Australia (TMCA) announced that TMCA’s Altona plant in western Melbourne would be closing. It was a historic factory that traced its origins back to Toyota’s first expansion into overseas markets in the 1950s. Due to various factors, TMCA was forced to take the painful decision to cease production at Altona.
Determined to ensure that the plant’s closure would be conducted in the way that people would expect from Toyota, TMCA undertook an intensive process of discussion. After careful consideration, it was decided that the plant would be closed down over a four-year period. The first step was to listen to the views of the nearly 3,000 employees who worked at the Altona plant; TMCA offered to help every individual employee to find new employment or undertake vocational training. Altona plant employees worked together to ensure that high quality standards were maintained in production operations right up until the completion of the last car to be manufactured at the plant. On October 3, 2017, the final Toyota Camry to be produced in Australia left the plant amidst the tears and smiles of plant employees.
The announcement that the plant would be closing sparked concerns about the future economic and social development of Altona and west of Melbourne communities.
The first Toyota Coronas produced in Melbourne in February 1965 on display
Following the closure of the Altona plant, TMCA launched a range of legacy and support activities to help the local community. One of these programs, the Toyota Community Trust (TCT), was established with the aim of cultivating human resources in the sciences, to foster the educational development of the people who will play an important role in society in the future. Many young people have benefited and one of these is Song-Tinh, who is studying to become a physiotherapist. Western Chances, one of the organizations TCT supports, awards him annual scholarships to help covering the costs of his education. Song-Tinh lives with his parents, who are both unemployed, with most of their time dedicated to his sister who lives with a chronic health condition. They were so short of money that he often had difficulty buying stationery and textbooks. Having learnt a lot more about young people and disability, and living with his younger sister’s condition, Song-Tinh is beginning to understand more about what it means to work with younger patients. He is excited to finish his degree and hopefully practice as a pediatric physiotherapist.
Song-Tinh
Toyota has “sown seeds” at the site of the former factory. The seedlings are still very small at the moment, but Toyota will continue to show its gratitude to the people of Altona by helping these seedlings of hope to grow and thrive.
Founded in 2017, TCT provides support for organizations focused on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education in the western Melbourne area. In the future, TCT recipient organizations will be able to use the skills of the Toyota Production System (TPS) approach to make their organizations even better.