Branford Group hosts Toyo Automotive Parts USA auction

The Branford Group is conducting an auction at the former Toyo Automotive Parts USA facility in Franklin, Kentucky in April. The auction follows the decision of Toyo Automotive Parts USA’s parent company, Toyo Tire Corporation, which decided in August 2023 to “cease manufacturing of automotive parts” at its US subsidiary.

The 250,000 square foot Toyo operation opened in 2001 and manufactured anti-vibration rubber, joint-boots, and other products for automobile manufacturers in North America. Significant investments were made from 2014 through 2018 as the operation purchased Aida straight-side stamping presses up to 330-tons, Orii uncoilers and feeders, Nissei plastic injection molding machines, a Therma-Tron-X electrostatic coating line, vertical rubber molding machines, and a Moriyama compounding line, all built and installed during that time.

“In nearly 30 years of buying and selling surplus equipment, I have never seen such a large offering of late-model stamping presses,” stated Marc Mazzalupo, Vice President at Branford. “With supply chain disruptions still impacting many OEMs, this sale presents end-users with an opportunity to immediately add near-new capacity at a fraction of its original or replacement cost.”

The full equipment offering will be available for bidding via a two-part public auction. Day-1 will feature Toyo’s core production equipment and will be held live online via a “studio webcast” on 2 April. This will be followed by the Day-2 timed “online” auction of mainly facility support equipment. This timed event will open Monday, 1 April and the first lot will begin to close on 3 April. The offering contains over 1,000 lots.