TOYOTA INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT CELEBRATES 30 YEARS IN U.S.

TORRANCE, Calif. (March 28, 1997)­In the 30 years since it sold its first forklift in the United States, Toyota Industrial Equipment (TIE), a division of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., has steadily increased its presence with continued growth in the U.S. market. "We entered the U.S. market with a single internal combustion truck (Industrial Truck Association [ITA] Class V) in 1967 and have focused on growing our business in the U.S. through quality manufacturing and complete customer satisfaction," said John Turmell, group vice president and general manager at TIE. In 30 years, TIE has expanded to offer lift trucks in ITA Classes I, III, IV and V. "We've made a commitment to our customers and dealers to continue to expand our product offering," added Turmell. Commitment to America Representative of Toyota's commitment to the American market, the company started building trucks at Toyota Industrial Equipment Manufacturing, Inc. (TIEM), Columbus, Ind., in 1990. The plant was built with an initial investment of $60 million and expanded in 1996 with another investment of $6.2 million for over 400,000 sq. ft. of production capacity. "Nearly every dollar we earn here is reinvested back into the U.S. economy," said Turmell. "Our investment here includes more than just quality trucks and manufacturing equipment. It's also reflected in the employees of TIEM who build the trucks." Within two years of starting operations in 1990, the plant had already produced 10,000 lift trucks. By 1996, the plant and company celebrated the production of 50,000 lift trucks. Nearly 95 percent of Toyota forklifts sold in the U.S. were also produced in North America. In addition, a growing number of those U.S.-built trucks are exported to support TIE's business on four continents. Complete Customer Satisfaction Thirty years after TIE's first sale in the U.S., customer satisfaction continues to drive every facet of the product life cycle­from design inception to after-sale product support. "Sales are important, but it's only one way we measure our success," said Turmell. "Our goal is to strive for customer satisfaction in sales, service, parts, rentals and the used equipment aspects of our business. We are committed to offer the best total package in the industry, that includes leading the way to complete customer satisfaction." Nearly 90 dealers with 169 locations nationwide reinforce TIE's commitment to strong customer support with sales, parts, service and financing. To help meet customer needs, TIE has implemented three programs: The "Special Design Request" program, which enables customers to obtain trucks designed and built to meet their specific needs. The "Voice of the Customer" program elicits feedback from customers following new truck sales and service. In addition, research conducted among customers, prospects and dealers is an important step in the continual improvement process at TIE in the development of new products and services. Toyota Industrial Equipment, headquartered in Torrance, Calif., markets cushion- and pneumatic-tire internal combustion and electric forklifts in the U.S. Over 90 percent of the forklifts sold by Toyota in the U.S. are built by Toyota Industrial Equipment Manufacturing, Inc. (TIEM) in Columbus, Ind. Toyota dealers throughout the U.S. offer comprehensive parts and service support.

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