Governor Perry Joins Toyota to Introduce On-Site Suppliers in Texas; Employment, Investment 50% Greater Than Anticipated

SAN ANTONIO, Dec. 16, 2004 -- Eighteen suppliers to be located on the site of Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Texas (TMMTX) will employ 1,500 and invest about $150 million, Governor Rick Perry said today in a news conference. Employment and investment are 50% greater than earlier estimates.

TMMTX will employ about 2,000 team members and invest $800 million in a plant that will produce 150,000 Tundra pickup trucks annually. When production begins in late 2006, on-site suppliers will provide a myriad of parts, materials and logistics services.

"The advantages of locating these suppliers on site include holding down logistics costs as well as the ability to work closely with Toyota in assuring quality," said T.J. Tajima, president of TMMTX. "The suppliers appreciate the support provided by the city, county and state to help them create these jobs."

Among the 18 suppliers are several joint ventures involving business partners from San Antonio. A list of the suppliers follows:

                                       Minority Business
  Texas Operation      Joint Venture    Enterprise (MBE)     Commodity/
       Name               Partners          Partners          service

  AGC Automotive                                          Glass assemblies
  Americas

  ARK, Inc.                                               Industrial waste
                                                          management,
                                                          recycling

  Avanzar Interior        SAT Auto        Berto Guerra    Seats and
  Technologies        Technologies, Ltd.                  interior parts
                      & Johnson Controls,
                         Inc. (JCI)

  Curtis-Maruyasu                                         Tubing
  America, Inc.

  Futaba Industrial                                       Stamped parts
  Texas Corp.

  Green Metals, Inc.                                      Scrap steel
                                                          recycling

  HERO Assemblers,        Valiente        Frank Herrera   Assembly of tire
  LLP                   International                     onto wheel
                         Ventures &
                        Toyota Tsusho
                        America (TAI)

  HERO Logistics, LLP   Valiente Intl.    Frank Herrera   Logistics
                        Ventures & TAI

  Metalsa                                                 Truck frames

  Millennium Steel       Henry Jackson    Henry Jackson   Steel processing
  Service Texas, LLC   (Millennium Steel
                        Service Indiana)
                            & TAI

  PPG Industries, Inc.                                    Glass assemblies

  Reyes-Amtex           Reyes Industries  Fernando Reyes  Interior parts
                           & Amtex

  Reyes Automotive      Reyes Industries  Fernando Reyes  Interior/
  Group                     & Lear                        exterior parts

  Takumi Stamping                                         Stamped parts
  Texas, Inc.

  Tenneco Automotive                                      Exhaust systems

  Toyoda-Gosei Texas LLC                                  Interior/exterior
                                                          parts

  Toyotetsu Texas                                         Stamped parts

  Vutex, Inc.              Operational    Max Navarro     Assembly services
                        Technologies Corp.
                             & Vuteq

                     Statement by Governor Rick Perry
                            December 16, 2004

"Toyota's expansion in Texas is having a huge impact on the Texas economy. Not only will Toyota's $800 million new plant eventually create 2,000 direct jobs, it is already attracting parts and service suppliers who will add thousands of additional jobs to that total. In addition to the direct jobs created by Toyota, 18 Toyota suppliers will soon open shop on the grounds of the Toyota plant, creating 1,500 new jobs and making an additional capital investment of $150 million."