LONG BEACH, CA—Toyota Motor North America will invest $27 million to increase production at its assembly plant here.

“Toyota’s roots in California run deep,” said Chris Reynolds, executive vice president for corporate resources at Toyota. “This investment demonstrates our continued commitment to doing business in the Golden State, investing in our operations across the United States and building where we sell.”

The investment will equip the plant with the automaker’s first coil-fed laser blanking line, expand blanking capability to include steel and aluminum on the same line and increase capacity to cut 5.6 million blanks annually. In addition, these added capabilities will enable TABC to better support Tacoma production at Toyota plants in Baja, CA, and Guanajuato, Mexico.

In addition to the new technology and expanded capabilities, the investment will also support the transition of 25 variable employees at the plant to permanent positions. Currently, the facility employs more than 350 people and, with this announcement, represents a $485 million total investment by the company.