Governor Granholm discusses the future of the hybrid and electric vehicle with Toyota Motors President Katsuaki Watanabe.
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On the final day of this jobs and investment mission, we covered more ground in Nagoya and Osaka.
We started bright and early with a breakfast meeting with Toyota Tsusho, co-owner of Eurus Wind Energy. Well established in the automotive industry, Toyota Tsusho is looking to move into the renewable energy business with Eurus Energy and we talked about the possibilities for making that happen in Michigan.
Then it was off to Toyota Motor Company to meet with President Watanabe. He was gracious enough to spend time discussing his company's plan to develop battery technology, the success and expansion of the Toyota Technical Center and more..
I also met with company executives from Toyota Boshoku, including Dr. Toyoda. Toyota Boshoku is another great company in the Toyota family.
Governor Granholm visits a hospital near Nagoya to see an artificial heart and lung machine produced by Terumo Corporation in Ann Arbor in action. Terumo recently announced it would move operations from Tustin, CA to the plant in Ann Arbor.
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When I was looking back on the week this morning, I was thinking about all of the generous and kind people we have encountered - from economic and business leaders to hotel staff to restaurant owners - people are so thoughtful - they rush to assist, to offer a helping hand, to point the way. We have all felt so welcome here.
Midday we met with Terumo Corporation, a leader in the medical device industry. At their Ann Arbor facility, Terumo makes an artificial heart and lung machine that keeps patients alive during heart surgery. Last month, Terumo announced it would invest $3.5 million, creating 157 new jobs, including 65 directly by the company to relocate and expand the R&D and manufacturing operations of its subsidiary, Terumo Cardiovascular Systems, from Tustin, California to their Ann Arbor thanks to help from our state economic development arm. I not only got the chance to thank Terumo's management for this exciting development, we traveled to a hospital near Nagoya to see this device - made in Ann Arbor - in action. The heart and lung machine that was demonstrated for me was used just last night in a surgery in that hospital. The company reports that they will greatly expand their Ann Arbor workforce, adding 100 jobs over the next three years.
Governor Granholm reviews projected sales figures with executives from Howa Textiles who are planning an expansion of their R&D center in Novi.
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Then it was off to Osaka to meet with Sharp. To most Americans, Sharp is best known for their LCD televisions and computer monitors, but solar power was the topic of the day. Sharp is very active in the solar power industry, making photovoltaic cells. Needless to say, they are very interested in Michigan since we have Hemlock Semiconductor - the world's largest supplier of the material needed to makes those cells.
Tonight we were pleased to finish the evening with an exciting announcement from Howa Textile who will soon be expanding their engineering facility in Novi, investing in Michigan and creating more jobs in our state.
Its been a great three days full of promise and potential jobs for Michigan. I feel confident that we will have many exciting announcements for Michigan in the coming months thanks to the hard work done by everyone involved in this trip.
Stay tuned…
- JMG
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