Magna International Inc. (Aurora, ON, Canada) announced that it is growing its footprint in China, with the establishment of a new seating engineering center in the Xuhui district of Shanghai. The newly established center will help Magna match the pace of growth in the world's largest automotive market, said Magna's release. The new location, which will include a seating testing lab and prototype shop, will employ approximately 60 people initially, but is expected to increase employment to more than 100 when it operates at full capacity.
"Opening a technical center in China is a reinforcement of our commitment to our customers, as they are looking for innovation and technology breakthroughs in the local market," said Mike Bisson, President of Magna Seating. "This center will help us stay in tune with local industry expectations and trends, so that we can continue to deliver the most innovative seating solutions to the market."
Also in January, Magna started production at two new manufacturing facilities in Sanand, Gujarat, India, according to information in IHS SupplierBusiness. Both plants are located in a supplier park next to Ford Motor's assembly plant. The new facilities provide assembly and just-in-time delivery of complete seat systems for Ford. IHS SupplierBusiness said that the company expects to produce 240,000 complete seat systems annually once the plant reaches full production.
The second facility, spread across 356,000 square feet, manufactures body and chassis systems for Ford. Magna currently employs around 1,600 people in India and has 11 manufacturing locations and three engineering centers in the country, including the two new facilities in Gujarat. IHS SupplierBusiness said that Magna expects that the investment in India will position the company well for expected future growth in the region.
