TMMC VP Sadler speaks to the long view at WDCC mayor’s breakfast

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Vice-President Phil Sadler spoke ‘leadoff’ at the Woodstock District Chamber of Commerce’s Breakfast With The Mayor Tuesday, April 28th inside the city’s expanded Southgate Centre. (Jeff Tribe photo)

Jeff Tribe, Echo Correspondent

A RAV4 rolls off the assembly line at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada’s (TMMC) Woodstock plant every 58 seconds.

Extrapolated across 2025, that represented 233,930 vehicles, including 34,803 hybrids. On January 23 of this year, TMMC celebrated a 100 per cent transition to production of the sixth-generation RAV4 for the North American market at Woodstock after a $1.1-billion reinvestment. The vehicles are the number one selling non-truck in North America, according to TMMC Vice-President of Administration Phil Sadler.

“We’re happy to be busy,” he smiled. “Busy is a good thing always.”

Sadler was representing title sponsor TMMC at the annual Woodstock District Chamber of Commerce’s Breakfast with the mayor on April 28.

The fact Sadler spoke first may have both recognized title sponsorship and enormous financial impact, a plant employing 8,500 directly with related spinoff benefits represents to Woodstock, Oxford County and the surrounding area not just every 58 seconds, but a full 365 days a year.

Production at Toyota’s three plants represents 44 per cent of all Canadian production, explained Sadler. The company will celebrate its 40th anniversary in Canada on May 6 and has come a long way since the initial production of 50,000 Corollas per year.

“We’ve grown just a titch since then.”

It is a mark of pride the company has not laid off a permanent employee in 40 years and also remains a strong supporter of its host communities. During his address, Sadler referred to a cumulative $15 million Toyota team contribution to the United Way in Waterloo Region and Oxford County, including roughly $750,000 this past year. Since 1995, there has been an additional $40 million in contributions to other organizations.

Speaking to the reported trade imbalance between this country and its southern neighbour, Sadler pointed out roughly the same number of vehicles, around 1.1 million, cross the border in each direction.

“I think that’s an aspect not many understand about our industry.”

Recognition of the Woodstock TMMC plant’s broad impact underlines concern around current trade discussions with the United States, mitigated by Toyota’s massive reinvestment into Woodstock-based RAV4 hybrid production.

“Toyota has always taken the long view,” he said. “We build what we sell and stay committed to the communities we live in.”

TMMC President Tim Hollander’s January 23 remarks in a media release on the company website around the first sixth-generation RAV4 off the line in Woodstock also spoke to the long-term commitment to Canada and the communities where it operates as part of a significant demonstration of Toyota’s confidence in “our people, our plants and our manufacturing ecosystem.”

“He’s been a tremendous advocate for us here in Canada,” Sadler concluded, calling the president ‘very invested in the success of the Canadian operation. “No stranger to challenge, and the leader we need right now.”