Job title: Skilled Team Member
Location: Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Alabama
Number of years worked in current department: 5 years
Number of years with the company: 5 years

On how he got into manufacturing:
“I never saw myself working in the manufacturing industry until I signed up for the Advanced Manufacturing Technician program at Calhoun Community College. It was eye-opening and a little overwhelming when I first started working at Toyota Alabama. Working with my mentors, I slowly became comfortable with my job and grew to being able to work on my own. Working in both machining and assembly, I was able to become more versatile with my craft.”

How does your role in engine production work in conjunction with other departments within manufacturing?
“My role as a skilled team member works in conjunction with production by helping them solve their issues if a machine is down and if they need assistance finding a solution for any problems. I’m able to dig deeper into the machine to find the root cause that they’re unable to see.”

What do you enjoy the most about working in the engine production department within manufacturing? 
“The satisfaction of knowing that I’m able to help my coworkers by making their jobs easier.”

Job title: Sr. Manager, Pilot and Engineering West Paint
Location: Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Indiana
Number of years worked in your current department: 19 years
Number of years with the company: 25 years

On how he landed in his current role:
“Working in the paint industry is unique. There is no specific school for it. So, when you start in paint, you generally never end up leaving it. I was working for another manufacturer when I got the call that Toyota was looking for experienced paint engineers. I always wanted to work for Toyota, so when the opportunity presented itself, I didn’t want to pass it up.”

On what he enjoys the most about working in the paint department:
“I enjoy the complexities of painting a vehicle. Paint is very different from other areas of manufacturing or what you would expect a manufacturing job would be. When you have a part that doesn’t fit, it’s a little more tangible. With paint, there are so many unseen things that affect your ability to apply a good coating. It’s never as simple as black and white. When you have so many aspects that influence a paint coating, it makes it a challenge to solve issues and maintain standards. Correcting an issue and putting countermeasures in place is extremely gratifying.”

On the trends that are having the biggest impact on paint for the automotive industry:
“There are a couple of trends changing the industry. The first is improvements to the corrosion protection: Toyota seals seams and provides extra cavity wax protection to the interiors. Another trend is the extra component base coats Toyota applies that give the color a deeper look and appearance that allows the color to shift as you look at the different feature lines. These colors are harder to paint, but, in my opinion, the appearance is so much better than the traditional colors with one base coat.”

On his favorite color that he’s worked on:
“They are all great because each one is a unique blend of just the right amount of each element that makes up that specific color. Well, if I must pick one, I have to say it's 8X5, which is the blue Lexus color Nightfall Mica, because blue is my favorite color.”

Job title: Production Team Member, Plastics Bumper Paint, Lexus
Location: Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky
Number of years worked in your current department: 2 years
Number of years with the company: 2 years

On a typical day in her role: 
“I would say my job is more of an individual role because I have to check everything myself, and I am responsible for whatever it is that I'm checking. We have five job rotations, and our main focus is to check for any quality issues to make sure our customers are getting nothing but the highest quality final product.”

On what people might find surprising about her job:
“Attention to detail is key to success in Assembly Plastics. People would be surprised to know how important each of the components is. For example: a tiny screw can change the whole thing if it’s not done correctly.”

On what drives her professional passions: 
“I love to help people. That's why I originally went into social work. Now with Toyota, I get to help in assembling brand-new, quality vehicles for our customers. It makes me happy to know that I’m a part of that. It inspires me to know that I get to make people happy by doing a good job on their product.”

Job title: Assembly Production Engineer
Location: Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Mississippi
Number of years worked in your current department: 3 months
Number of years with the company: 1 year, 3 years co-op included

On how she got started in manufacturing: 
“I believe my affinity for math and growing up on a farm played a large role in my decision to pursue engineering and manufacturing. Being around my dad and my papaw while they worked on tractors, old farm trucks, etc., contributed to my curiosity on how things are made, work and function. During college, I co-oped with Quality Functional group, Paint Production Engineering (PE), and Stamping PE, which allowed me to relate my book knowledge to hands-on projects. Through those co-op opportunities, I slowly fell in love with manufacturing. I landed a full-time maintenance engineering position in stamping a little over a year ago, and I love it.”

On what she enjoys the most about working in assembly:
“I’m consistently challenged, for the betterment of myself, of course. I enjoy problem-solving, and in my everyday work, I get to do just that while growing my skill set. There is always something to be done, and helping people to get home safely is why I do my job. Without those who work on the process, I wouldn’t have my job, so I am very thankful they show up. It’s my responsibility to ensure they have the best opportunity to enjoy their work while completing it safely.”

On how her role in assembly works in conjunction with other departments within manufacturing: 
“In assembly, we are the customer of all other shops and have the potential to impact safety and quality. As a production engineer, we must consider how the part or car was received and how it will be delivered to our customer, ensuring that safety and quality meet the respective standards.”

Job title: Production Group Leader, Casting
Location: Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Missouri
Number of years worked in your current department: 7 years
Number of years with the company: 7 years

On how she got into manufacturing: 
“I started with Toyota in 2017. I was returning to work from maternity leave and needed something that was reliable, had good benefits and was closer to home. I started out as a cleaner, sweeping dust off the floors, wiping oil off the backs of machines, vacuuming out the pit. It was not the most desired job in the plant, but I was happy to do it alongside my coworkers and return home to provide for my family. After several promotions over the years, I am now Group Leader over one of our flex lines, where we assemble three different cylinder head castings.”

On what she enjoys the most about working in the casting department: 
“I enjoy getting the opportunity to see the cylinder heads created out of the raw materials, molten aluminum and inorganic sand. It’s like a real-life “How It’s Made” episode! Working in the casting department really pushes you to focus on the quality of the parts we are assembling, as the cylinder head plays a key role in the engine. We’re handling some serious stuff!”

On what drives her professional passions:
“People! I love working with people. As a Group Leader, I spend a lot of time with different people from all walks of life. I am fortunate that I have been able to build those relationships with the team. The most satisfying part of working with people is teaching them something and seeing their faces light up with that ah-ha moment. Then, watching them do it on their own after that.”

Job title:  Skilled Team Member, Die Making
Location: Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Tennessee
Number of years worked in your current department: 3 years, 4 months
Number of years with the company: 3 years, 4 months

On what he enjoys the most about working in the die making department:
“I enjoy learning about new things in die making that could make the process easier down the line.”

On how his role in die making works in conjunction with other manufacturing departments:
“We try to make the job as efficient as possible to reduce team member burden.”

On the most gratifying aspect of his job?
“Making a reliable product that could benefit other people.”

Job title:  Production Team Member, Body Weld
Location: Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Texas
Number of years worked in your current department: 6 years Main Body; 3 years Body Weld Pilot
Number of years with the company: 9 years

On how his role in body welding works in conjunction with other departments within manufacturing:
“Main body is where the cab starts to take its shape and becomes recognizable as the truck's shell. In this process, we are responsible for putting together the outer shell where the doors, roof and underbody come together as one. My daily role is to make sure the product I receive from stamping and our on-site suppliers is thoroughly inspected, so that every cab that is sent out from main body is ready to go. Once the cab and deck are complete, they move to the paint department.”

On the trends having the biggest impact on welding for the automotive industry: 
“The trends I’m seeing that have the biggest impacts are the recent technology, the change in metals from steel to aluminum and the new raw materials being used in the weld shop to assemble a quality vehicle. This process took place over the recent model change with our all-new Tundra and Sequoia.”

On one of his proudest moments at work:
“Being involved in the rollout of the body weld mentorship program has been one of my proudest moments. Having the ability to help our new hires ease their way into working at Toyota and receiving positive feedback about this program from all my coworkers has brought me great pride and makes me proud to work on this team. It has also helped me gain my confidence in leading.”

Job title: Production Team Leader
Location: Toyota Motor Manufacturing, West Virginia
Number of years worked in your current department: 1 year
Number of years with the company: 14 years

On what she enjoys the most about working in the transaxles department: 
“These hybrid transaxles are an important part of the future of automotive, and it’s exciting to be a part of it.”

On the most gratifying aspect of her job: 
“The most rewarding part of my job is learning something new every day and passing that knowledge along to the team, so everyone benefits, including the company and our customers.”

On one of her proudest moments at work: 
“It was great to be a part of the launch of Toyota’s fifth-generation hybrid transaxle line at Toyota West Virginia.”

Job title: Quality Inspector
Location: TABC
Number of years worked in your current department:  About 27 years
Number of years with the company: 30 years

On how he got started in manufacturing:
“Since childhood, I’ve always had a passion for working with cars. While in high school, I took auto body classes, and my teacher noticed my interest in the field. She told me about temporary positions at TABC, and I started working there while still a senior. After graduating, I continued studying auto body in college and was eventually hired full-time at TABC.

On the most surprising aspect of his job:
“One surprising aspect of my job in quality is the level of detective work involved. It’s not just about inspecting parts; it’s about tracing issues back to their source and working with various departments to solve problems. This process can sometimes create challenges among team members, as differing perspectives on defects and solutions can lead to discussions.”

On what he loves the most about working at Toyota:
“What I love most about working at Toyota is not only the company’s commitment to quality and continuous improvement, but also the strong bonds we share as team members. They truly feel like a second family.”