Toyota Field Trip
“It was very well organized, clean, and impressive.” That’s how Callen Lay, a student in CCP Engineering and Fundamentals of IT, responded when asked about a field trip that the class went on to a Toyota plant. The specific plant that the CCP class for Engineering and Fundamentals of IT at Moeller visited was the Toyota plant in Georgetown, Kentucky, which is a manufacturing plant where Toyota makes the Camry and the RAV 4. But why did the field trip occur at this specific plant? Was it a good choice?
The class went on a tour in the facility and were shown the technology used, along with hearing how Toyota stays sustainable. They stay sustainable in many ways, including becoming carbon neutral, having sustainable manufacturing techniques, such as improving energy efficiency, engaging with local organizations to support educational and disaster relief programs, and having an on-site solar farm, which was shown to the students.
The specific plant that they visited is also one of Toyota’s largest vehicle manufacturing facilities in the world, able to produce around 550 thousand vehicles and 600 thousand engines annually. Aside from their resources and ability to produce, the size of the plant is just as impressive, spanning 7.5 million square feet, which makes it Toyota’s largest facility outside of Japan.
During the tour, the students experienced the technology and engineering of a car manufacturing company, including autonomous robots, AI integrated technology, and digital fabrication machines. Callen Lay, along with many other students, was on this trip, which Callen enjoyed. When asked about his favorite part of the trip, he said that “it was very well organized, clean, and impressive. [His] favorite part is that they had transportation, sort of like elevated conveyors that would take parts, like doors, to be painted and finished, then they would come back and be fastened on. It was really cool.” He enjoyed the field trip and thought it was a great experience to see the top-of-the-line technology being used.
The Toyota in Georgetown, Kentucky was chosen because of Toyota’s sustainability, the great impact of the facility, and the location of the facility. So, was it a good choice? Yes, it was. The students enjoyed the experience and were able to see some of the best manufacturing technologies while also learning about how Toyota aims to stay sustainable. Mr. Leugers and Moeller made a great choice and provided a good experience to the students.