Hino Motors Holds Grand Opening Ceremony for New West Virginia Plant
On August 21, 2019, Hino Motors, Ltd. executives and dignitaries held a grand opening ceremony for the company’s new plant in Mineral Wells, West Virginia. Guests present included state governor Jim Justice, West Virginia senators Joseph Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia congressman David McKinley, representatives from dealerships and suppliers, as well as Hino CEO Yoshio Shimo, US Hino Sales president Shigehiro Matsuoka and US Hino Manufacturing president Takashi Ono.
The Hino group has been working to bolster its business structure to provide ongoing value to customers under its “Challenge2025” initiative. The company has continued to expand its product line-up in the US and moved forward with production localization. As part of these efforts, Hino has relocated and consolidated their existing production processes at the new West Virginia plant to achieve greater efficiency.
The company plans to transfer the production of truck cabs for the North American market — currently being done in Japan — to this plant. They have also shortened product delivery lead times, established organizational setups with a view of increasing sales and are taking actions to further improve competitiveness. The plant began operations in June.
Hino CEO Yoshio Shimo announced, “Hino is committed to building its trucks and products in the market it operates in. We have committed 100 million dollars in our US operations —which includes the construction of our new West Virginia plant — and create 250 jobs. I am excited to announce an additional commitment of 40 million dollars in investment to meet increased demand and product configurations and 250 additional jobs, as part of our effort to enhance the foundations that will underlie our further growth in the US. Hino remains committed to taking active actions that will enable us to contribute to the growth of the US and the state of West Virginia.”
“Hino has been a tremendous partner to the state of West Virginia since 2007,” said West Virginia governor Jim Justice. “With this additional investment and hiring, they continue to be one of the West Virginia’s biggest employers. We thank Hino for their continued investment in the great state of West Virginia.”