Toyota selects designer for new Woodstock plant

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. has hired Giffels Associates Ltd. to design the car company’s new automotive assembly facility in Woodstock, Ont.

Toronto-based Giffels, a division of the Ingenium Group, also designed the plant expansion of Toyota’s Cambridge, Ont. facility, as well as the plant’s employee fitness centre.

Giffels also has consulting expertise in infrastructure and transportation, power and manufacturing.

Announced on June 30, the Toyota Woodstock plant will be the first greenfield automotive assembly facility built in Canada in 20 years.

The plant is slated to start production of Toyota’s RAV4 SUV in 2008, and will employ about 1,300 people.

Toyota’s Cambridge plant employs more than 4,000 people and produces the Matrix, Corolla and Lexus RX330 vehicles.