Tag Archives: miss

ToyotaUk

Toyota Mississippi Puts High School Students to Work

 $1.9 million investment brings 4T Academy to local schools

BLUE SPRINGS, Miss. (Nov. 1, 2023) – Juniors and seniors at New Albany and Union County Schools will soon have a unique opportunity to learn and earn. Toyota announced Wednesday—in collaboration with local partners—the investment and launch of its 4T Academy, a hands-on training program designed to place students directly into Toyota production jobs right out of high school.

Toyota’s commitment of $1.9 million to implement this game-changing program is match funding following a grant awarded to New Albany School District and the 4T Academy from the Appalachian Regional Commission.

The announcement was made Wednesday at the automaker’s Workforce Readiness Forum where lawmakers, community leaders, and educators convened to address common issues and goals surrounding talent development, retention, and educational support.

“The 4T Academy will provide our students the skills, experience, and confidence they need to move into high-wage careers in manufacturing right here in their backyard,” said Erik Skaggs, president of Toyota Mississippi. “Imbedding innovative programs like 4T in our schools changes the landscape of workforce readiness and puts students in the driver’s seat for their careers.”

Students enrolled in 4T will follow a state-approved curriculum pathway in traditional high school classes while learning and training in a mock factory environment to gain essential skills needed for production jobs at Toyota. This state-of-the-art classroom will be housed at New Albany School District’s (NASD) future “New Albany Center for Innovation”—an enhanced version of its current School of Career & Technical Education.

The 4T Academy will have a collaborative classroom space, electric and pneumatic tool-training stations, a simulated vehicle production line, virtual reality simulators, cobots, and many other high-tech components—all integral to developing talent while still in high school. Seniors enrolled in 4T will earn an hourly wage while on the production floor, getting certified and working alongside industry experts to build the world’s best-selling vehicle, the Toyota Corolla.

“We are excited to work with Toyota Mississippi to implement the first 4T Academy in Mississippi,” said Lance Evans, superintendent for New Albany School District. “As a result of this partnership, our students will be afforded opportunities that are very unique to our region. When schools and industry partner together, the results are meaningful to not only students and schools but also families and our community.”

Toyota also announced a gift of $100,000 to support the Center for Innovation as it undergoes renovation.

Toyota’s 4T Academy started at Toyota Indiana in 2020 while partnering with Purdue IN-MaC—a partnership that has continued through its expansion to Toyota West Virginia in 2022, and plans to launch at other Toyota manufacturing facilities in the U.S. are underway. For more information on 4T, visit www.4TAcademy.com

ToyotaUk

Toyota Mississippi Names New President

BLUE SPRINGS, Miss. (September 25, 2023) – Toyota Motor North America announced that Erik Skaggs has been promoted to president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Mississippi (TMMMS), effective October 23.

Skaggs joined Toyota in 1993 as an engineer at its Georgetown, Kentucky site. He has held leadership roles in quality control, body operations, and production before becoming a general manager in 2015. In 2020, Skaggs transitioned to Toyota Mississippi as the vice president of manufacturing and most recently served as vice president of administration.

Skaggs expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to lead and continue the development of Toyota Mississippi. He highlighted the commitment and dedication of the workforce and community and looks forward to future opportunities for growth and development as a company and community partner.

The current president, David Fernandes, will transition to his new role as senior vice president of manufacturing at Mazda Toyota Manufacturing in Huntsville, Alabama, after three years of strong leadership in Mississippi.

Fernandes mentioned his privilege of being a part of the plant’s development alongside hardworking and dedicated employees who prioritize the safety and quality of their vehicles. He also acknowledged Northeast Mississippi’s reputation for inspiring others through education, community development, and workforce initiatives.

Under Fernandes’ leadership, the plant opened a new 15,000-square-foot interactive experience center and produced over 500,000 Corollas, the world’s best-selling vehicle.

Toyota Mississippi represents a $1.2 billion total investment with approximately 2,400 employees.

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for over 65 years. The company is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through its Toyota and Lexus brands, as well as its nearly 1,500 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs more than 49,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of over 33 million cars and trucks at the nine manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 10th plant in North Carolina will begin manufacturing automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. Currently, Toyota offers 24 electrified options, more than any other automaker.

Motorsport

Watch Porsche 911 GT3 (991.2) Lap Nurburgring In 6:58 Minutes With Manual ‘Box

We admire manual transmissions and will definitely miss them in the electric era. However, we cannot deny that automatic gearboxes have certain advantages. And we’re not just talking about everyday comfort. In the performance segment, cars with automatic gearboxes are usually faster on tracks because of their faster gear changes. Nevertheless, a skilled and experienced driver can still perform miracles even with a stick shift. And this new video proves that.

In this video, we have a Porsche 911 GT3 from the 991.2 generation, driven by an experienced driver, lapping the Nurburgring. According to the owner of the car, the driver has completed between 300 and 400 laps at the legendary track. He admits that there is still room for improvement over a two-day event, with progress made from the first lap to the last.

Let’s start with some background about the car. The 911 GT3 from the 991.2 generation is the facelifted version of the 991.1. It brought back the option for a manual transmission. The 4.0-liter engine under the hood received many hardware upgrades, resulting in a boost in power to 493 horsepower (368 kilowatts) and 339 pound-feet (460 Newton-meters) of torque. The factory performance numbers showed that cars equipped with a six-speed manual gearbox could accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour (0-97 kilometers per hour) in 3.8 seconds. The dual-clutch automatic, on the other hand, was quicker at 3.2 seconds.