SAN ANTONIO (Dec. 18, 2025) – Following a competitive process across its footprint worldwide, Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) named Toyota Texas as its Global Safety Excellence Award winner for 2025. The prestigious annual award is given to one Toyota vehicle manufacturing facility for overall safety focus and performance. Toyota Texas received the trophy for their innovative program that combined production shop-specific tactics with an employee-centered approach that resulted in a best-ever year for safety at the plant.
“This Global Safety Excellence Award is more than recognition; it’s proof of who we are at Toyota Texas,” said Frank Voss, plant president and Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) group vice president for truck manufacturing. “I’m so proud that in a demanding year, our team members showed that discipline and care go hand in hand, making our plant one of the safest in Toyota’s global network. Thank you, Team Texas, for showing the world the strength of our safety culture and that safety excellence is possible.”
In a multiple model change year with increased vehicle volume demands, the Toyota Texas safety team led the plant to focus on refining safety systems and management based on shop needs. Improved communication of safety key performance indicators (KPIs) also helped identify trends to be addressed, while keeping team members aware of safety performance and actions they could take to contribute. The effort resulted in gains with multiple safety KPIs, which caught TMC’s attention and landed the global prize.
“Thank you, Toyota Texas, for your continuous work and support to keep our safety culture at the forefront each day,” said Toyota Texas safety senior manager Rhonda Ebersole. “This achievement doesn’t happen by accident; it happens with our collective focus on and attention to safety to ensure everyone returns home to their families as healthy as they came in while delivering the best vehicles on the road today.”
Toyota Texas won top honors in a competitive evaluation against finalist plants from the automaker’s other regions across the globe. Joining Voss in a special trophy ceremony at the San Antonio plant was Mark Templin, executive vice president and chief operating officer, TMNA; Kevin Voelkel, senior vice president of manufacturing operations, TMNA; Carla Wright, Toyota Texas safety champion and vice president for manufacturing; among other plant leaders and safety team members.
“This milestone reflects our team members’ unwavering commitment, collaboration and dedication to creating a culture in which safety is not just a priority – it’s a shared value,” said Wright. “Our efforts have set a global benchmark, and this recognition belongs to each and every team member.”
With 3,700 Toyota Texas employees and an additional 5,600 supplier employees on campus, Toyota Texas is the exclusive global home to the Toyota Tundra and Sequoia. The new $531M rear axle plant announced in 2024 is set to begin production in fall of 2026.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs nearly 48,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 35 million cars and trucks at our 11 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina began to assemble automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.
To help inspire the next generation for careers in advanced manufacturing, Toyota launched its in-person tour booking platform and virtual tour experience at www.TourToyota.com allowing guests to schedule a live tour to see several of our U.S. manufacturing facilities in action or visit all plants virtually from anywhere around the globe.
For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
