JTEKT エニス工場竣工式での挨拶 2006年10月13日在ヒューストン日本国総領事 加茂佳彦
Congressman Barton, Representative Pitts, Mayor Thomas, Mr. Yoshida, Mr. Bowers, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen:
It is not fair that nobody has said anything about the wonderful weather we are having today.It is so beautiful that Mr. Nagata of Toyota has come back to Ennis for a B.B.Q.and I have come back to Ennis for the gorgeous North Texas weather since, as you know, I am living in hot and humid Houston.
It is a great honor and privilege for me to be here today on this auspicious occasion of the Grand Opening of the JTEKT Automotive Texas (JATX) manufacturing plant in Ennis, Texas.I think the JTEKT Company of Osaka, Japan has chosen wisely when selecting this thriving southern tier of the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex to build their manufacturing plant here to support the Toyota Motor Tundra Truck manufacturing plant that will have its grand opening in San Antonio next month.
The attractive business climate, the reliable and motivated workforce, coupled with the wholesome quality lifestyle available here makes Ennis, the ideal place for JTEKT to locate.Dallas, Fort Worth and San Antonio are close by and Houston isn’t that far away either.For that matter, the rest of the United States is not far away thanks to the excellent location for transportation connections and distribution of products.
I was interested to find out that Ennis is actually named after a former Mayor of Houston, the Honorable Cornelius Ennis.He was as an incorporator of the Houston and Texas Central Railway and served on the board of directors for many years.Ennis is an early terminus of this railroad and, of course, was named in his honor. If Mayor Ennis is to be thanked for his expansion of the railroads in Texas, Mayor Thomas must be thanked for his role in bringing JTEKT to his city.
The JATX Principle is Zero Defect Manufacturing, according to what I have read.The Japan-U.S. relationship principle in recent years has been a Zero Defect relationship because of the excellent efforts from both countries from the national level to the state and local levels.
I wish to congratulate JATX and Mayor Russell and the City of Ennis for working together to make this Grand Opening and the JATX plant a reality.The expansion of the Japan-Texas relationship continues and produces economic, social and cultural rewards for both sides of the relationship.
My best wishes to JTEKT Automotive Texas and the people of Ennis and those who work here for continued prosperity and success.Thank you.