Leading Blue Springs facility with a $1.2 billion investment in state and 2,400 employees
When Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Mississippi, Inc. (Toyota Mississippi) President Erik Skaggs first started working for Toyota about 32 years ago, he was probably most proud of “the amazing products we make” including the iconic Corolla, Toyota’s highest-selling vehicle globally. Today, Skaggs is most proud of the 2,400 people who work for the Toyota Mississippi’s manufacturing plant in Northeast Mississippi established in 2007 with production beginning in 2011.
“I felt lured to work with the amazing vehicles we make but, over my career, I’ve learned it is the people who make it happen,” said Skaggs. “What I like most about my job is the wonderful people I get to work with every day. They do an exceptional job manufacturing the most dependable compact car in the country using the Toyota Production System tools, as well as embracing Toyota values of respect for people and continuous improvement. They are committed to learning the skills necessary to build the vehicles, and to continuously improve. They work well as a team. Listening to the voices of the team members who are able to share their knowledge and experience gives us insight into how to make the processes better.”
Skaggs started working for the company in 1993 at a Toyota facility in Georgetown, Kentucky, before moving to Toyota Mississippi in 2020 to assume the role as Vice President of Manufacturing. Since then, the plant has continued to grow in annual volume with two production shifts and its $1.2 billion plant investment. Currently the plant produces more than 180,000 vehicles per year.
What makes the Corolla one of the top-selling automobiles in the country? Skaggs believes a big factor is its well-deserved reputation for being affordable, safe, and the most dependable compact car on the market. People also appreciate gas mileage in the range of 32 to 41 miles per gallon. There are different models of Corolla’s, as well, including the SE model that is fun to drive.
Toyota Mississippi has some community college partnerships to help with workforce training and also does a lot of in-house training with specific processes and skill sets. That includes process training with a static dojo (a Japanese term for a specific type of training area) that gives workers the skills they need to go on the line.
Skaggs said Toyota Mississippi not only has competitive wages, but also a great benefits package and onsite amenities. A new amenity coming soon is onsite childcare. About a third of the workforce at Toyota Blues Springs is female, but both moms and dads will benefit from the new childcare center slated to open later this year. Skaggs said the on-site childcare will be available for both shifts and will provide valuable alternatives for parents. The childcare facility will have an early childhood learning focus to help children with their progression into the K-12 classroom setting.
There has been a lot of uncertainty recently with tariffs set by President Trump on many types of imports, including parts used in manufacturing vehicles. Skaggs said all Toyota cars have some kind of global content, but it’s been estimated that after establishing operations in Blue Springs, Toyota helped to create more than 4,000 new jobs in the region and state with its manufacturing facility and supplier network.
“We are proud the Corolla is manufactured right here in Blue Springs, and we have many suppliers who support us,” said Skaggs. “I don’t see any slowdowns coming. We will work to meet our customer demand with an affordable vehicle that is very dependable and high quality.”
Toyota’s New Global Architecture infrastructure enhances structural innovation to integrate product improvements. “As we optimize the platform, we can make sure the outcome is to bring better value to our customers,” said Skaggs.
“We always pursue automation when it makes sense. The goal of that is to free up team members to do more rewarding, value-added work. We focus on jobs with a high ergonomic burden and/or lower value to the customer by automating these processes, leaving team members to take on more rewarding work. Often this work involves further kaizen of other processes. We are always striving to improve the processes.”
One way they do that is through “karakuri,” a Japanese term for employing devices that require little to no technology to move materials and products, i.e., using springs, levers and gravity to improve efficiency and safety while saving energy. Skaggs said designing and building karakuri devices allow team members to work on improvements that lower the process burdens for each other.
“They get excited about the opportunity to design and build devices into the process that make the work less physically demanding, and then seeing it working every day for team members,” said Skaggs.
“I feel very proud to be able to work for a company that values respect for people and continuous improvement. The impact we are able to have in the community, and our commitment to team members great benefits, and stable employment, as well. We place a very high priority on those things.”
When Skaggs first came to Toyota Mississippi his job included overseeing press, weld, paint and assembly operations. In June 2022, he became Vice President of Administration where he was responsible for all areas of administration including human resources, general affairs, safety and environmental, facilities, accounting and finance and production control.
Skaggs serves on the board of the Mississippi Economic Council, the Center for Manufacturing Excellence at Ole Miss, and the Community Development Foundation in Tupelo. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Tennessee Tech University.