Faurecia North America Growing Into New HQ In Auburn Hills
AUBURN HILLS -- Three years into a major surge in growth, Faurecia North America announced more details of its plans for a new headquarters building in Auburn Hills.
Since 2010, Faurecia -- North America's eighth-largest automotive supplier and the sixth-largest globally -- has opened 15 new plants and tech centers in the United States, Mexico and Canada and has nearly doubled the size of its work force to more than 20,000. The region now accounts for 30 percent of Faurecia's global sales.
In Michigan, that growth has taken the form of six new locations since 2010 and a total of 13 sites that collectively employ more than 4,000 people. Its success has led Faurecia North America to begin construction this month on a new headquarters building that also will house technical centers for Faurecia Automotive Seating and Faurecia Automotive Exteriors.
"As the auto industry has reinvented itself over the past few years, Faurecia has been a notable success story," said Faurecia North America President Mike Heneka. "We have grown substantially and now we are ready to extend our technical centers and headquarters operations to further support that growth. Our new location presents a distinctive opportunity to build from the ground up in a way that most suits our needs and to centralize our technical teams and administrative functions."
The new headquarters, at 2800 High Meadow Circle in Oakland Technology Park near I-75 and University Drive, positions Faurecia North America in a more highly visible, easily accessible, more spacious location that is tailored to its needs. Upon the building's completion in the spring of 2014, up to 700 employees will be transferred to the building from three smaller Michigan facilities: the current Faurecia Automotive Seating Technical Center on Meijer Drive in Troy; Faurecia's Oakland Shared Services Center on Squirrel Road in Auburn Hills; and its Oakland Technical Center for Automotive Exteriors on W. Entrance Drive in Auburn Hills. The Faurecia Interior Systems Technical Center will remain at its current location at 2500 Executive Hills Blvd in Auburn Hills. Faurecia Emissions Control Technologies will continue to be based in Columbus, Ind.
The technical centers in the new facility will carry out prototype development, testing and light assembly activities to further Faurecia North America's commitment to pioneering advanced vehicle systems to meet the auto industry's evolving needs.
"Faurecia has called Auburn Hills its home for 10 years, and we enjoy an excellent relationship with the city's leadership team," Heneka said. "They have been a strong partner in the momentum we have generated, and we are pleased to be expanding our presence in the city."
The layout of the new building will be more conducive to team work than were Faurecia's other facilities and will enable program teams to sit together. Shop and testing areas will be upgraded and organized for improved efficiency, and considerably more meeting space will be available. The 278,000 square foot building will include a new showroom, dedicated innovation areas, numerous conferences spaces, a larger break room and plentiful parking for employees and visitors.
Faurecia's newest location will be developed and constructed by General Development Co. LLC of Southfield.
Faurecia is the world's sixth largest automotive supplier with four key business groups: automotive seating, emissions control technologies, interior systems and automotive exteriors. In 2012, the Group posted total sales of $22.5 billion. It employs 94,000 people in 34 countries at 320 sites and 30 R&D centers.
More at www.faurecia.com.
In North America had sales of $6 billion in 2012. Faurecia has 37 production sites, six technical centers, two customer centers and a shared services center in the United States, Canada and Mexico and employs more than 20,000 people in the region.
More at www.facebook.com/faureciaNA, www.twitter.com/faurecia_NA and www.Pinterest.com/FaureciaNA.
