Magna International has opened a seating plant in Mexico that it said would provide soft trim material for a variety of carmakers in the country.
Magna will invest $8m in the 10,000 sq.m building over the next three years and will employ approximately 1,000 people at the facility when it reaches full production in 2017. The facility is located in Allende in Coahuila state.
“Magna has been a great partner of Coahuila, and with them we build a future of development and growth for the company, its workers, and their families, as well as to generate greater wealth and prosperity for our state," said the governor Ruben Moreira Valdez at a ceremony held there on November 23rd.
“Our North American seating business continues to expand and we are responding by adding world-class manufacturing facilities – this new seating trim plant is a great example,” said Simon Kew, vice president operations, Magna Seating. “We are pleased to be growing our business in Mexico, and fortunate to work together again with the Coahuila government in the development of this new facility and bring jobs to the local community.”
Magna established its first Mexico facility in Puebla in 1991, and the latest plant will bring the number of manufacturing facilities in Mexico to 28.
Magna International has also recently signed a 50:50 joint venture in China with Chongqing Hongli Zhixin Automotive Parts Manufacture to provide complete seating systems and seating components to Changan Ford and other customers in China.
"Hongli Zhixin, with their strong position in the Chinese seating market, represents a strategic partner for us in China,” said Mike Bisson, president of Magna Seating. “The combination of our global seating expertise and their knowledge of the Chinese market delivers a unique value proposition that ultimately positions both companies for future growth opportunities."
