Mazda Plant Officially Open for Business After Celebration
Mazda Motor Corporation and Sumitomo Corporation marked the opening of their joint venture production facility in Mexico with a ceremony to celebrate the hard work and dedication of all involved parties. Opening the Mazda plant in Mexico was no small feat and is the result of over two years of planning.
MVOO (Mazda de Mexico Vehicle Operation) was established in September 2011 and ground was broken one month later. The ceremony, which was held at the end of February, included Mazda de Mexico Vehicle Operation (MMVO), MMVO President and CEO Keishi Egawa, and distinguished guests from the United Mexican States and the city of Salamanca. The first model to roll off the line, a 2014 Mazda3 sedan, was signed by plant employees.
“I am moved by, and grateful for, the dedication and support of everyone that made it possible for us to successfully hold this opening ceremony here in Salamanca as planned, Sumitomo’s Representative Director, President and CEO, Kuniharu Nakamura said in a recent news release. “We are convinced that MMVO’s business will benefit not only the employees working there, but also the city of Salamanca, the state of Guanajuato, and the country of Mexico as well as the lives of their residents, and that the customers worldwide who purchase the products made here will find their dreams realized. We hope to serve as a bridge between Guanajuato and Japan, and between Mexico and the rest of the world.”
With an ever-growing Mexican market, Mazda and Sumitomo plan for MMVO to be a cooperative enterprise that will leverage the strength of both corporations to serve not only the Mexican market, but also production for the U.S. with Central and South America and Europe to follow.
Currently the Mazda plant in Mexico is able to produce the Mazda3 at a capacity of 140,000 units per year, and is expected to expand by 2016 to 230,000 units, when it will add production of the Mazda 2.
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