Forklift and tow tractor maker Toyota Material Handling selected Force Construction, a Columbus, Indiana-based general contractor, to build its new $100 million manufacturing facility at its campus in Columbus, Indiana, the company told Construction Dive in an email.
Toyota Material Handling, a subsidiary of Toyota Industries, plans to add a 295,000-square-foot facility to its existing manufacturing plant on campus.
“Electric forklifts make up 65% of the North American market and this trend toward electrification in the material handling industry will continue to grow,” said Brett Wood, president and CEO of Toyota Material Handling North America, in a news release. “This investment is one of the largest in our history and signifies [Toyota’s] commitment to the North American market.”
The new plant will specialize in electric forklifts and employ sustainable technologies. Toyota expects the facility to start production in June 2026, according to the release.
Including this expansion project, Toyota has completed more than 15 total expansions in 34 years, with over $400 million in total investments at the plant, according to the release. Once complete, Toyota’s footprint in Columbus, Indiana, will grow to nearly 1.8 million square feet.
“We are excited about this significant strategic expansion to our Columbus campus,” said Tony Miller, Toyota Material Handling senior vice president of engineering, operations and strategic planning, in the release. “This new factory will allow us to deliver those electric units to customers faster than we can today.”