Tornado damages supplier Toyoda Gosei's Kentucky sealing plant

By Laurén Abdel-Razzaq Crain staff report (AN)

Hopkinsville, Kentucky -- A tornado damaged the Toyoda Gosei automotive sealing plant in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, on Monday -- creating new gaps in an already threatened US supply chain.

The tornado caused significant damage to the building in the finished goods area and the plant is relying on a backup generator until power can be restored, Toyoda Gosei Co. spokesman John Wells confirmed. Seven employees were taken to the hospital afterward, although none received life threatening injuries. The plant has 184 employees. Officials are assessing the damage and developing a timeline to determine when the facility can be reopened, he said.

The plant supplies body-sealing and weather-stripping products to Toyota Motor Corp., Nissan Motor Co., Honda Motor Co. and Ford Motor Co., according to Lee Conrad, director of the Hopkinsville-Christian County Economic Development Council. Wells would not confirm the county's information on the plant's customers.

Among the vehicles that will be affected are the Toyota Sequoia, Sienna and Highlander, which are produced at the automaker's Princeton, Ind., plant, and the Ford F-250 and F-350, which are produced at the Kentucky Truck plant in Louisville, Conrad said. Wells would not confirm which models the plant supplies.

Both Toyota and Ford said they couldn't comment on specifics.

Toyota spokeswoman Tania Saldana said the automaker is working with the supplier to understand the situation, but the impact is not known at this time.

Nissan did not have a comment as of this afternoon.

Honda spokesman Ed Miller said the tornado has had no impact on Toyoda Gosei's ability to supply parts to the automaker.

Wells said Toyoda Gosei is considering transferring production to its sealing plant in Waterville, Quebec. No decisions have been made at this point, he added.

Sixty percent of the products produced at the plant are supplied to Toyota, Conrad said. The automaker had a 42.85 percent stake in the plant's Japanese parent company, Toyoda Gosei Co., as of March 31 last year, according to the company's latest investor profile.

From Automotive News (A Crain publication)