Flexiwall external canopy ensures weather protection at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas

Flexiwall canopy enclosure protects against downtime for global automotive manufacturer

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas has been operating in San Antonio, Texas, for over 20 years. In 2025 alone, the 2.2 million square foot plant produced 197,506 vehicles — approximately one Tundra or Sequoia every 60 seconds. For such a large-scale operation, every minute of unplanned downtime incurs a significant cost, both in production output and in lost man-hours. When the team at the San Antonio plant identified a persistent and costly problem caused by extremes of temperature, they turned to Westgate Global — a trusted supplier since 2000.

Temperature protection in extreme weather

San Antonio’s climate is unforgiving in its extremes, with temperatures fluctuating between 25°F and 97°F (-4°C and 36°C) throughout the year. During cold winter weather, the machinery and pipework housed beneath an external production canopy routinely suffered damage from freezing conditions. Cracked pipes, mechanical failures, and unplanned shutdowns brought parts of the plant to a standstill, and the cost of downtime was beginning to take its toll.

The team at Toyota needed to find a solution that would enclose the canopy and keep temperatures more stable. However, the scale and location of the canopy presented an engineering challenge. At 200ft wide by 27ft high and fully exposed to the elements, wind loading had to be carefully calculated and designed for. Large tanks and ancillary machinery in the immediate area meant floor space was at a premium, and the partition had to fit precisely around existing infrastructure without leaving gaps. A traditionally built wall of this size and footprint would have been impractical: disruptive to install in a live environment, difficult to route around existing machinery, and inflexible if operational needs changed.

Westgate Global recommended and installed Flexiwall, the ideal solution for all of these demands. The installation was designed to fully enclose the canopy area and eliminate the exposure to the elements that had previously caused damage and disruption.

A versatile partition, engineered for performance

Flexiwall’s tensioned fabric partition wall is made from industrial-grade, heavy-duty, reinforced material, engineered for use in extreme temperatures from -40°F to +932°F (depending on fabric type). Once installed, the enclosure achieved an ISO 7 certified seal, minimizing air movement and humidity that previously caused issues, while retaining warmth within the canopy area. With a thermal transmittance rating of 0.704–0.972 BTU/h-ft²·°F, the material provides the insulation performance needed to maintain that temperature differential even during the most severe cold snaps, keeping Toyota’s critical machinery well above freezing as outdoor temperatures plummet.

Flexiwall: designed for large, awkward spaces

As part of the design process, a full structural survey was conducted to evaluate wind load requirements, ensuring that the system and fixing methods were appropriate. The slim profile and small footprint of the Flexiwall were practical advantages given the proximity of tanks and machinery along the partition line, occupying minimal floor space while still delivering the structural performance required at this height and in this environment.

If machinery within the canopy area needs to be moved or reconfigured in the future, Flexiwall can be removed and reinstalled without damage to the building or the system, ensuring the solution remains as adaptable as the operation it supports.

Eliminating the risk

Once installed, on-site tests recorded an outside temperature of 25.7°F (-3.5°C), while the temperature within the enclosure held at 55.8°F (13.2°C) — well above the threshold at which pipes and machinery are at risk. The Flexiwall installation ensured that critical production assets were protected, production continuity was maintained, and the costly cycle of cold-weather failures that had caused repeated downtime was brought to an end.

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