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The facility will include a 7,000-square-foot simulated factory floor featuring training robots, assembly-line simulators and more. (IBJ file photo)Lafayette-based Subaru of Indiana Automotive has broken ground on a $4.2 million, 20,000-square-foot training facility that will be twice the size of its current training space.
The facility will include a 7,000-square-foot simulated factory floor featuring training robots, assembly-line simulators, a car lift, a forklift and work space for interns. It will also include nine classrooms, two work simulation rooms and a 24-seat computer lab.
Construction is expected to be complete in October.
The Lafayette plant is Subaru’s only manufacturing facility outside of Japan. It has grown explosively since opening in 1989 and now has 5,700 workers and produces 370,000 vehicles per year.
The plant makes four models for the North American market: the Ascent, Impreza, Legacy and Outback.
Subaru in 2019 expects to rack up its 11th straight year of record U.S. sales, according to Automotive News. The publication said the feel-good vibe of the automaker’s “Share the Love” marketing campaign has help propel the growth.•
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