Members of the community, local and state government and Toyota Boshoku officials hosted a ceremonial groundbreaking for the upcoming Toyota Boshoku Western Kentucky, LLC smart facility set for Commerce Park II in Hopkinsville on Wednesday.
Toyota Boshoku is a Japanese based corporation that focuses on manufacturing interior automotive components and Toyota Boshoku America is headquartered in Erlanger, Kentucky.
Wednesday’s groundbreaking was hosted at the James E. Bruce Convention Center, but before shovels turned the soil, local, state and national officials spoke about what it means to have Hopkinsville as a home for this upcoming facility.
Gov. Andy Beshear started the event’s comments saying Kentucky has been known nationally for its bourbon and horse racing, but soon the state will be known as an economic powerhouse because of facilities like Toyota Boshoku.
Toyota Boshoku President and CEO, Masayoshi Shirayanagi says the Hopkinsville facility will be the first of its kind using robotic manufacturing and hopes the facility plays a role in continuing the growth of the region’s economic portfolio.
Both Christian County Judge Executive Jerry Gilliam and Hopkinsville Mayor J.R. Knight presented Shirayanagi with a key a to the city.
Closing out the comments was South Western Kentucky Economic Development Council Executive Director, Carter Hendricks. Hendricks started by thanking Toyota Boshoku for picking Hopkinsville as the site for their smart facility.
Hendricks says the Hopkinsville facility is about more than just jobs and investments, but has the potential to bring more opportunities to the region.
Construction for the Hopkinsville facility started in June 2023 and is set to start operations in 2025. The facility will focus on the production of automotive seat parts and will cost approximately $225 million to construct.
