Hino Marion Plant Auction to Sell $450M in Equipment After 1,300-Job Closure Announcement

The Arkansas Delta facility, once a major Toyota supplier and robotic manufacturing hub, is set for a multi-day equipment sale as Hino moves toward closing its Marion operations by 2027.

By Wesley Brown, Arkansas Delta Informer

Sept. 10, 2026 – A Detroit-based global asset liquidation firm will soon begin auctioning off more than $450 million worth of manufacturing equipment at one of the first Arkansas plants to use assembly line robots to roll out truck axles and parts for the world’s largest automaker.

Maynards, a global leader in industrial asset liquidation and valuation, announced today (Sept. 10) that it will kick off a series of major machinery and equipment sales from Hino Motors Manufacturing U.S.A. Inc.’s state-of-the-art axle manufacturing facility in Marion, Ark.

Maynard said the Hino plant’s offerings include manufacturing equipment with an original acquisition cost exceeding $450 million, acquired between 2020 and 2024. In late May 2024, Hino Motors president and CEO Satoshi Ogiso announced that the Japanese auto parts manufacturer would shutter its 1,300-employee operations in Marion.

“Handling of assets and employees’ treatment associated with the parts business, Hino will proceed with consideration and sincerity on employees’ treatment,” Ogiso said in May 31, 2024 statement. “Regarding the handling of assets, we will continue to proceed with deliberations.”

That surprise announcement came just seven years after Hino and local and state economic development officials launched the expansion of an 110,000-square-foot production line at a sprawling, state-of-the-art facility, which became one of the South’s first fully operational robotic assembly lines.

“This is an exceptional opportunity for manufacturers to acquire modern, production-ready automotive equipment from a highly automated axle manufacturing facility,” said Robert Levy, president of global strategies for Maynards Group of Companies.

“The combination of complete production lines, late-model robotics and CNC equipment, sophisticated inspection systems and significant new MRO inventory makes this an especially compelling offering for automotive, truck and bus manufacturing buyers.”

The Marion facility now has approximately 563,000 square feet of manufacturing and office space. Regarding the planned 2027 closure, Hino has said that all employees will receive an end-of-service package that will include extended healthcare, an end-of-service bonus and outplacement services.

Hino brought robotics manufacturing legacy to Arkansas

Hino Motors first landed in the Arkansas Delta following the state’s highly publicized recruitment of the $800 million Toyota Tundra plant, which went to San Antonio, Texas, in 2003. Hino Motors Manufacturing USA, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hino Motors and the Toyota Group Company, opened the Marion plant in early 2006 with an initial investment of $280 million and a target of 600 employees.

After opening in Oct. 2006 with 600 employees, the Marion plant continually increased production, manufacturing axles and related parts for Toyota’s Tundra, Tacoma and Sequoia pickups and for Hino’s uniquely designed trucks and flatbeds.

Following the 2017 expansion, the Marion facility had more than 563,000 square feet of manufacturing and office space and capital investment exceeding $280 million in robotics and equipment, including over 550 major machines.

Regarding the 2024 plant closure announcement, Hino said it was exiting the auto parts business due to a nearly 30% decline in operating profit. “(W)e have concluded that recovering sustainable profitability is difficult, and thus have decided to withdraw from this business,” the company said in a statement. “(Hino’s) Arkansas plant will be closed by the end of 2027, and we will withdraw from the parts business.”

Since that announcement, Hino’s profitability and business struggles have continued. In January 2025, Hino officials agreed to a $1.6 billion settlement with US agencies and pleaded guilty to excess diesel engine emissions in more than 105,000 US vehicles.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Hino admitted that between 2010 and 2019 it submitted false applications for engine certification approvals, altered emission test data, conducted tests improperly, and fabricated data without conducting any underlying tests.

In the settlement with the EPA, the Department of Justice, and the California Air Resources Board, Ogiso admitted to Clean Air Act violations and stated that the company had improved its internal culture, oversight, and compliance practices.

In April 2026, the world’s largest automaker, Hinon, transitioned out of the Toyota Group after merging with Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp. under a new holding company, Archion Corp.

That deal ended a long-standing Japanese partnership dating back to 1966, when Toyota first partnered with Hino to manufacture vehicles. Toyota’s stake in Hino was increased to 50.1% in 2001, making Hino a consolidated subsidiary. However, the Archion merger restructured Hino as a wholly owned subsidiary outside the Toyota Group. 

Maynard said its massive multi-day webcast sales will offer complete automotive and truck rear axle manufacturing lines, with equipment available both in bulk and piecemeal. “All equipment is installed and under power, providing prospective buyers with the opportunity to acquire late-model production assets from a modern automotive manufacturing operation,” it said.

Sale 1 is scheduled for Sept. 23 and 24, with a second sale planned for June 2027. An ongoing negotiated sale of key items is also being conducted, subject to release dates. Inspection for the September sale is scheduled for Sept. 21 and 22, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. by appointment, at 100 Hino Boulevard, Marion, Arkansas.

Highlights of the offer, including more than 360 robots, are listed here. Detailed information, the complete Hino sales schedule and bidding information are available through the Maynards sale page.