SAN ANTONIO -- Toyota's Tundra truck production will shift to the Alamo City quicker than expected, company officials announced Tuesday.

The move was initially expected to begin next Spring, but the company announced it would move production from its Indiana plant to the facility on the city's south side.

"We will be basically just ramping up our production and carrying it out to capacity, so it wouldn't be a strain, but it would be a welcome opportunity," company spokesman Mike De La Garza said.

Workers at the Indiana plant will begin producing the company's midsize sport utility vehicle, and the company has started training its employees and making improvements to the line while the plant is on a temporary production shutdown.

"When we go back online, our line will be enhanced with those improvements," De La Garza said. "We'll also do some minor adjustments to ensure that when we do produce Tundras, all Tundras here, we'll be prepared to do that at the number we expect."

The plant is capable of producing 200,000 trucks a year, according to company officials, but the sluggish economy and high gas prices prevented them from hitting that mark.

In addition to preparing for the challenge of producing all the company's Tundras, workers will also be doing community service during their down time.

City leaders and Toyota officials are working on a plan to put the temporarily displaced employees to work on city projects, including graffiti cleanup and additional work in all city council districts, De La Garza said. The partnership could begin as soon as September.