In an interesting reversal of recent
trends in the U.S. auto parts industry, French parts supplier Faurecia announced Wednesday that it will open six new
plants in North America in 2006.
According to Automotive News, the
company already has 17
facilities in the U.S.
A global supplier, Faurecia employs 60,000 at 160 sites in 28 countries, with
worldwide sales of about $13 billion. The company specializes in seats, cockpits, acoustic packages, doors, exhaust
systems and front ends (including the BMW 1-series unit pictured).
Faurecia North America is headquartered
in Troy, Michigan. The company says its new plants will be located in Michigan, Ohio and South Carolina. According to a
company statement, the expansion will support production for new programs with several OEMs.