SAN ANTONIO – Toyota Motor Manufacturing is showcasing its newly renovated visitor and education center alongside its plant tours.
Melissa Sparks, analyst with Toyota Manufacturing Texas, said they spent more than $ 1million on their remodel at their visitors center. The new exhibit opened in April.
"The whole reason we wanted to remodel this entire exhibit area is because there is so much demand the in the STEM fields right now. We wanted to make sure kids coming here knew what STEM opportunities were available, so they can look at working for us eventually in the future when they grow up," Sparks said.
Outside the visitor section they have a learning garden, and inside the building you can learn about Toyota's history along with so much more.
There are three different sections inside the building with hands-on learning experience. They include:
- a museum with trucks and the history of Toyota
- an academy with information about the Toyota Way, the Toyota Production System and environmental commitment
- and the manufacturing plant exhibit with hands on activities that allow people to learn what the team members do every day
"We have a lot of different job varieties, including assemblers who work on the line. Either in assembly, stamping, in the paint shop or plastic shop. We need people in every department," Sparks said.
The Toyota campus sits on 2,000 acres on the far South Side.
"We have our main facility, Toyota facility, which has around 3,200 team members. But also on our campus, we have 23 on-site suppliers. Those on-site suppliers employ another 4,000 San Antonio residents," Sparks said.
If you want to visit the center you must call and make a reservation. The phone number is 210-263-4002.