Faurecia gives good news for North America's automotive arena

Automotive parts supplier Faurecia plans to increase its North American presence with six new facilities after its 2005 sales were strongly supported by sales growth there. Faurecia is a Tier 1 supplier of seats, cockpits, doors, acoustic modules, front ends and exhaust systems.

James Orchard, president of Faurecia North America (HQ: Troy, MI), says sales there have increased about 20% in the last 12 months, to $1.5 billion. Faurecia will announce its full year (2005) results on Feb. 6.

The expansion will include additional plants in Michigan, Ohio, and South Carolina, to support production for new programs with several OEMs, says Faurecia. The company already has 17 North American manufacturing facilities. The new capacity will include production of automotive modules for interior systems in Fraser and Sterling Heights, MI, and in Northwood, OH; seats on a just-in-time basis in Sterling Heights, MI, and Fountain Inn, SC; and exhaust systems on a just-in-time basis in Toledo, OH.

Faurecia also will produce its first front-end module for the North American market at the interior systems plants in Fraser and Sterling Heights. In a press release the company says it will hire more than 2000 employees over the next four years, bringing its workforce to 9200 in the region by the end of 2009.