The Haartz Corp. has announced a strategic alliance for the Chinese automotive market by entering a joint venture with the Minth Group. The new company, to be known as Haartz-Minth (Ningbo) Automotive Ltd., will focus on manufacturing automotive interior surface materials utilizing Haartz technology. The business will be located near Ningbo, China, benefiting from existing resources at the Minth Group’s TaiYong facility.

“Haartz is a leading supplier of soft-trim materials for the automotive interiors market, and we serve many of the world’s leading OEMs and major Tier 1 suppliers. As seen from numerous OEM announcements in recent years, China is becoming an increasingly important market for U.S.-based automakers and suppliers,” said John Fox, president of The Haartz Corp. “This alliance with the Minth Group will help us to meet the demands of our customers quicker and more cost-effectively.”

Included in the joint venture is Haartz’ line of moldable surface materials for various interior components, including door panels, instrument panels and center consoles. These products are based on thermoplastic olefin (TPO) surface technologies, which offer weight savings and reduced volatile organic compound emissions to the finished components.

Established in 1992, the Minth Group began as a small factory located outside of Ningbo, China, and has since expanded to become a leading supplier in design, manufacturing and sales of body structural parts, trims and decorative parts of passenger vehicles.

Approval from the Chinese government is needed for the new company. Initial plans call for production of TPO foils and foam laminates based on Haartz technology. Assuming timely approval of all permits and registration, production is expected to be under way in the second half of 2017.