AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – Faurecia North America, the region’s sixth-largest automotive supplier, celebrated the opening of its new North American Headquarters and Automotive Seating Technical Center in Auburn Hills, Mich., this week with a flag-raising ceremony.
The new facility, which encompasses 278,000 square feet, includes a prototype metal shop; trim development lab; just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing lab; structural testing lab; environmental testing chambers; noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) and electrical lab; and semi-anechoic chamber for sound testing.
The site also features an information-sharing hub called the "Innovation Plateau." This area serves as a creative center for Faurecia employees to foster ideas and inspire new technology developments for the company’s seating business. Faurecia University North America, the company’s local training arm, also calls the Auburn Hills headquarters building home. Faurecia University coordinates the professional development of employees across the region. More than 700 people are based in the new building.
"Our new Headquarters and Seating Technical Center adds to our already growing footprint in Michigan and North America and underscores our commitment to the region," said Faurecia North America President Mike Heneka. "Southeast Michigan is a center of automotive excellence that offers us access to the right people, technologies and ideas to help us design and manufacture advanced vehicle systems that meet the auto industry’s evolving needs."
In North America, Faurecia had sales of $6.25 billion in 2013. It employs more than 20,000 people at 47 locations in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
"Over the past decade, our North American operations have grown to outpace much of the supplier industry globally and have maintained a remarkable record of innovation and expansion throughout the most challenging of economic times," said Faurecia Chairman and CEO Yann Delabriere. "Since 2010, we’ve opened 15 new plants and technology centers in North America and have nearly doubled our workforce. Our new North American headquarters reflects Faurecia Group’s balanced presence across the region by serving as an innovation hub at the focal point of the American auto industry. It stands as a continuing commitment to our groundbreaking work in lightweighting, reduction of emissions and new levels of driver comfort that we have introduced to the auto industry."
With operations at 76 sites in 25 countries, Faurecia Automotive Seating is the world leader in the manufacture of high-performance seating mechanisms, global-standard frames and advanced mechatronics systems. The company ranks in the top three for production of complete seats and is renowned for its seating innovations that provide smart comfort solutions. North America is the second-largest region for Faurecia Automotive Seating, following Europe.
