<\/p>\n
Frank Voss became the president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas in May 2025.\u00a0 He has worked in various positions and at different Toyota plants since\u00a02002.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Craig Barnstrom\/Toyota Motor North America<\/p>\n
Caption: Toyota\u2019s South Side campus will soon have a new unit plant to manufacture rear axles for the gas-powered and electrified Tundra, hybrid Sequoia and the Mexico-produced Tacoma.<\/p>\n
Courtesy of Toyota <\/p>\n
Frank Voss became the president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas in May 2025.\u00a0 He has worked in various positions and at different Toyota plants since\u00a02002.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Craig Barnstrom\/Toyota Motor North America<\/p>\n
Frank Voss became the president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas in May 2025.\u00a0 He has worked in various positions and at different Toyota plants since\u00a02002.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Craig Barnstrom\/Toyota Motor North America<\/p>\n
Rows of new Toyota Tundra and Sequoia vehicles are lined up outside of the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas Inc. plant on the South Side of San Antonio on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, before being loaded onto trains.<\/p>\n
Sam Owens\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n
Toyota\u2019s South Side campus will soon have a new unit plant to manufacture rear axles for the gas-powered and electrified Tundra, hybrid Sequoia and the Mexico-produced Tacoma.<\/p>\n
Courtesy of Toyota <\/p>\n
Frank Voss became the president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas in May 2025.\u00a0 He has worked in various positions and at different Toyota plants since\u00a02002.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Craig Barnstrom\/Toyota Motor North America<\/p>\n
Frank Voss became the president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas in May 2025.\u00a0 He has worked in various positions and at different Toyota plants since\u00a02002.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Craig Barnstrom\/Toyota Motor North America<\/p>\n
When Frank Voss<\/a> took over as president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas<\/a> last May, he was tasked with completing a once-in-a-lifetime project.<\/p>\n \u201cMy biggest challenge right now is that axle plant,\u201d he said of\u00a0the $531 million project he\u2019s directing toward the finish line.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n It\u2019s not often an executive gets to launch a new plant, he\u00a0said, and this one will supply rear axles<\/a> for vehicles built in both in San Antonio and Mexico.<\/p>\n If it\u2019s novel for him, it\u2019s not\u00a0because Voss lacks industry experience.\u00a0Though he\u2019s been in Texas for less than 12 months, his Toyota roots stretch back nearly 25 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n RELATED: Toyota begins hiring at new San Antonio plant; will add 400+ employees this year<\/a><\/p>\n He began working for the Japanese\u00a0automaker in 2002 as a general manager of information systems.\u00a0After two years, he pivoted to general manager of production control. For nearly a decade, he headed Lexus manufacturing with responsibility over the entire production process\u00a0\u2014 stamping, welding, paint, plastics and assembly. Most recently, he was president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cYou can build a real career with Toyota,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a lifetime opportunity. I\u2019m a perfect example of that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Working his way up to an executive position took \u201ca lot of time on the floor, a lot of time with hands-on systems and processes.\u201d Though he acquired a lot of skills along the way, he said the process also gave him a broad understanding of the varied aspects of the business and how they all must work together.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s easy to stay in one spot and throw stones and complain about those people over there,\u201d\u00a0Voss said. \u201cBut if you had to live in their shoes, you had to see what they struggle with and what they work with\u00a0\u2014 it does make it easier to work together because you understand their challenges and problems.\u201d<\/p>\n Voss also serves as Toyota Motor North America\u2019s group vice president of Region 4 \u2014 a North American supply chain that stretches from Mexico through Canada, where\u00a0Voss hails from. It includes Toyota Motor Manufacturing Baja California,\u00a0Guanajuato and Toyota Auto Body California.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Tariff concerns<\/p>\n He estimates that 50% of the product Toyota sells in the U.S. is made in the U.S. and 75% of what is sold in the U.S. is made across North America.<\/p>\n \u201cThat North American supply chain has to stay stable,\u201d Voss said. \u201cOur biggest concern is that tariffs have the potential to impact our suppliers. A lot of them are small businesses, so they are potentially financially fragile.\u201d<\/p>\n Toyota and other\u00a0automakers are focused on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement<\/a> set for a joint review in July. The trilateral free trade agreement outlines rules on duty-free trade and commitments on issues like labor, environment and investment.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n After a year of increasing trade tension between the U.S. and Canada, President Donald Trump has said the\u00a0U.S. could leave the agreement<\/a> and strike individual deals with the countries. As part of his global trade war, Trump enacted a 50% tariff on steel and aluminum<\/a> last March, with passenger vehicles, trucks and auto parts stuck with a 25% tariff since then.\u00a0<\/p>\n Toyota has been involved in preparations for the negotiations, Voss said, sharing its own challenges and providing feedback during the public input period.\u00a0<\/p>\n READ MORE:\u00a0As Toyota begins construction of San Antonio axle plant, local president looks to future<\/a><\/p>\n Building a Toyota product requires from 20,000 to 30,000 parts and Voss said the company needs \u201cevery part to make the car. Losing a supplier through financial difficulty has a big impact.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The impacts stretch\u00a0beyond Toyota.<\/p>\n \u201cThey typically manufacture for many\u00a0automakers, not just us,\u201d Voss said of suppliers. \u201cSo if you pull one out, it has a ripple effect through the whole automotive supply chain.\u201d<\/p>\n A hybrid man<\/p>\n Toyota looks toward its customers\u2019 desires when considering products, Voss said. While many of its competitors exited the sedan market segment, he said Toyota\u2019s customers still wanted them. Because of that, the company has stayed in that segment.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n But\u00a0it\u2019s no surprise\u00a0\u2014 especially in Texas\u00a0\u2014 that trucks have been a huge growth segment for the Japanese automaker.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s going to continue,\u201d Voss said. \u201cAnd you\u2019re in Texas\u00a0\u2014 who doesn\u2019t drive a truck in Texas?\u201d<\/p>\n RELATED:\u00a0Global manufacturer sets target of bringing up to 300 jobs to San Antonio<\/a><\/p>\n These days, he can be found at the wheel of a brownish-gold Tundra \u2014 one with a hybrid engine.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n It’s a far cry from when Voss first joined the company. Then, he loved gas-powered cars with a manual transmission. But his opinions have shifted as Toyota settles into its sixth generation of hybrid powertrains to deliver electric-gas power to the drive wheels.<\/p>\n \u201cThe latest powertrains are flawless,\u201d he\u00a0said. \u201cI think there\u2019s a better driving experience with an electrified powertrain than gas only.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Electrified vehicles have the highest torque from a stop, he said, while power from the gas engine is strongest at speed. The result is a smoother, more refined driving experience.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Though federal incentives for purchase of electric vehicles were eliminated by the Trump administration last fall,\u00a0Voss said Toyota is not stepping away from electrified models. Half of the company\u2019s products have some electrified component whether they are hybrid, plug-in hybrid or full battery electric vehicles.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cToyota is still committed to electrification. That is a long-term trajectory that\u2019s already been started,\u201d he\u00a0said. \u201cI think you\u2019ll continue to see that grow, because there\u2019s value in it. Customers recognize the performance improvements, the fuel economy benefits\u00a0\u2014 all of the things that go with an electrified powertrain.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n READ MORE:\u00a0Sales of San Antonio-made Toyota electrified vehicles surge, continue outperforming their peers<\/a><\/p>\n Axle plant schedule<\/p>\n The South Side plant Voss runs produces the hybrid Sequoia SUV and both hybrid and gas-powered versions of the Tundra pickup. Their shared frame platform allows for 30 different variants\u00a0distinct by the size of the bed to the grade level. It\u2019s one of the highest variations of any product Toyota makes in North America.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Starting in November, Toyota will begin producing 500,000 rear axles a year at the new plant \u2014 200,000 for the SUVs and pickups made on the South Side, with the remaining 300,000 sent south to Mexico, where the Tacoma midsize pickup is built.<\/p>\n It won\u2019t be full-scale when operations begin in the fall, but it will still be at a high volume, Voss said. Toyota plans to phase in production with a standardized approach: build capacity, confirm, then take the next step to ensure they \u201cdon\u2019t miss a single axle.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s important to do that to make sure that we can confirm all the processes, equipment, training,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can\u2019t risk your business on a big bang.\u201d<\/p>\n The project is operating on an accelerated timeline and has a big scope. Toyota is\u00a0hiring 400 people<\/a> in phases to match the needs of the plant. The skilled workers were hired last year and have already begun training.\u00a0Voss estimated they are about halfway through the hiring process, though the company will have more updates in early March.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/p>\n