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This morning, Toto USA opened a $224 million
manufacturing facility in Morro,
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Georgia, reshoring production of high-end
one-piece toilets from the Toto Group’s plants
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in Asia.
Toto USA is the Japanese manufacturer’s
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American division,
which is based in Morro,
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Georgia.
The company, one of the largest plumbing
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manufacturers in the world, does more than
$5.34 billion in annual sales.
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It says it made the move to increase U.S. luxury
one-piece toilet production capacity by
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150%.
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To meet rising demand, the expansion will float
Toto’s production capacity in the Americas up
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to some 1 million units annually across its
Morro, Lakewood,
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and Mexico plants.
The new building in Morro will add capacity to
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make another 300,000 toilets each year.
As Toto faced extended lead times even from
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its own plants, it hopes more regional U.S.
Production will
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ensure more timely delivery and unclog its
North American supply chain.
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The company took the plunge on the project in
June 2023 on the site of its original Morro
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plant.
Construction wrapped in November 2024,
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and the company’s production bowl will begin to
fill this fall.
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The expansion adds about 161,500 square feet of
advanced manufacturing space,
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bringing the three-story facility to more than
363,000 square feet.
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It will also help sustain 420 local jobs.
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The new facility relies heavily on advanced
manufacturing technologies,
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including a tank bonding robot, a first for any
Toto Group plant that positions and bonds
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tanks to bowls for one-piece toilets, 34
advanced robots that streamline everything from
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molding to finishing, 6 self-driving AGVs that
can carry 3 toilets each between molding,
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drying, glazing, and firing over approximately
44 yards,
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high-pressure casting equipment that can make
larger, more complex designs.
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Heat-resistant QR codes that enable real-time
tracking, quality control,
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and big data analysis to optimize the
manufacturing processes.
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And finally, two convection-heated kilns with
advanced insulation and digital temperature
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control.
The kilns scheduled to be installed in 2027
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will improve energy efficiency and cut CO2
emissions by some 23% compared to the company’s
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current kilns.
Toto began operations in the Americas in 1989
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in California. In 1991, they launched U.S.-based manufacturing in
Lakewood, Georgia, and five years later in ’96,
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it opened its first major manufacturing
facility in Morrow for fiscal year 2024.
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Total USA recorded sales of
$464 million.
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$464 million.
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total USA CEO said, quote, this expansion
cements our leadership in luxury bathroom
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innovation while creating a more agile,
resilient manufacturing network.
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I’m David Manti.
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This is Manufacturing Now.