Toyota Awards Structural Steel Packages for Texas Plant

ERLANGER, Ky., Sept. 28 -- Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America today announced the structural steel packages for the construction of Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Texas in San Antonio.

  The steel project is divided into three packages:
   -- The press shop, weld shop and plant office package was awarded to
      Safety Steel Service, Inc. of Victoria, TX.  Safety Steel Service is
      part of the CMC Steel Group, a subsidiary of Commercial Metals Company

      (CMC) -- Dallas, Texas.
   -- The other two packages for assembly and paint and plastics were
      awarded to a joint venture formed by Midwest Steel, Inc. and W&W Steel.

      W&W Steel has corporate offices in Lubbock, Texas and Oklahoma City,
      Okla.  They plan to use their Texas operations for some of the
      fabrication work.  Midwest Steel is based in Detroit, Mich.

"We are confident that these companies will be a great match for Toyota, meeting our quality and safety standards and helping us to remain on time and within budget," said Jeff Caldwell of Toyota's plant engineering division.

These companies will be responsible for the structural steel and roof deck for the new plant. The project includes: procurement of raw structural steel, detailing, fabrication, paint, delivery and installation of the steel. Toyota reviewed bids from a number of companies before awarding these contracts.

Procurement, detailing and fabrication work has already begun for each of the packages. The companies expect the first steel erection to occur in November.

In February 2003, Toyota announced that it had chosen a 2000-acre site in San Antonio to build approximately 150,000 Tundra full size trucks annually, beginning in late 2006. The new plant will represent an $800 million investment by Toyota and is expected to bring approximately 2,000 new jobs to Texas. Additionally, several automotive suppliers will set up operations on the site of the new plant. Those suppliers are expected to have an investment of over $100 million and employ about 1,000 people. Over the construction period, at peak times about 2,000 people will be working on the site.

Site preparation began in March and general contractors for the project will be chosen later this year. Interested contractors should log on to http://www.toyotasupplier.com/ and fill out a potential supplier data sheet or submit written information to:

   Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America, Inc.
   25 Atlantic Ave.
   Erlanger, KY 41018
   Mail Code: PURFIC-NA