Faurecia Begins Operations at Saline, Michigan, Interior Systems Plant and Announces New Southfield, Mich., Customer Center

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., June 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Faurecia, the world's sixth-largest automotive supplier, today began operations in Saline, Mich., after its acquisition of the interior trim components business from Automotive Components Holdings, LLC (ACH). The plant supplies cockpits, instrument panels, door panels and center consoles for 12 vehicle programs assembled at eight Ford plants throughout North America. Faurecia also announced that it is establishing a Faurecia Interior Systems customer center in Southfield, Mich., which will house more than 200 employees, including more than 50 new professional jobs in 2012.

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Faurecia will celebrate the dedication of the Saline business with a flag-raising ceremony scheduled for July 17 at 11 a.m. in front of the plant at 7700 Michigan Ave. in Saline, with employees and invited guests.

Faurecia's new Interior Systems customer center will be located in the Travelers Tower I, 26555 Evergreen Road near Interstate 696 in Southfield. It will be dedicated to engineering, product development, program management, sales and marketing in support of Ford Motor Company. The Southfield team will include Ford Customer Business Unit personnel from Faurecia Interior Systems' Auburn Hills Tech Center and staff formerly with ACH. A significant number of positions at the Southfield Customer Center, however, will be new jobs filled by candidates from within southeast Michigan. The operation will occupy approximately 50,000 square feet on the 17th and 18th floors of the building.

"The Southfield Customer Center will allow us to bring the former ACH personnel associated with Saline's operations together with those from Faurecia to work as a closely knit team in support of this transformation and future growth," said Faurecia Interior Systems North America President Jean-Michel Renaudie. "We are pleased to be able to retain the skills and knowledge of the ACH personnel who are joining Faurecia, to bring more jobs to the region and to reassert Faurecia's commitment to southeast Michigan."

Under Faurecia ownership, Saline will become a technology plant that focuses on such core technologies as injection molding, skin manufacturing and foaming operations for interior systems. Current programs at Saline include the Ford F-150, Expedition, Explorer, Focus, Mustang, Taurus, and Lincoln Navigator and MKS.

The cockpit interiors for the Ford Mustang and Expedition and Lincoln Navigator will be the first two programs manufactured and assembled at the new joint venture between Faurecia and Rush Group Ltd., called Detroit Manufacturing Systems (DMS), located in Detroit's Gateway Industrial center near the Southfield Freeway and Interstate 96. Operations will begin transferring from Saline to DMS this summer.

"Faurecia has proved itself to be an important creator of jobs and technology for the automotive industry in southeast Michigan, expanding and retaining jobs in Saline, Detroit and Southfield," said Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder. "By modernizing infrastructure in Saline, jointly creating a new assembly plant for the city of Detroit and creating a customer center in Southfield, Faurecia has helped establish a track on which Michigan's auto industry can accelerate its rapid evolution and ever-growing efficiency."

Reconfiguration and upgrading of the Saline plant will be completed over the next few years. The operation will feature a smooth progression of components from fabrication to assembly to sequencing and serve as a core for potential future growth.

Faurecia expects to invest in the Saline business for capital improvements, manufacturing, materials and employee programs to drive manufacturing excellence. The company will implement new policies designed to focus on employee involvement; to train employees in lean manufacturing; and to improve production quality through the Faurecia Excellence System (FES), a proven approach promoting continuous progress that capitalizes on the best practices from inside and outside the company.

About Faurecia

Faurecia is the world's sixth-largest automotive equipment supplier with four key Business Groups: Automotive Seating, Emissions Control Technologies, Interior Systems and Automotive Exteriors. In 2011, the Group posted total sales of 16.2 billion Euros ($22.5 billion). At December 31, 2011, Faurecia employed 84,000 people in 33 countries at 270 sites and 40 R&D centers. Faurecia is listed on the NYSE Euronext Paris stock exchange. For more information visit: www.faurecia.com

About Faurecia North America

Faurecia North America had sales of $4.8 billion in 2011. The Group has 36 production sites in the United States, Canada and Mexico and employs more than 16,000 people in the region. It has five technical and development centers, situated in Auburn Hills (2), Holland and Troy, Mich., and in Columbus, Ind., as well as a customer center in Toledo, Ohio. For the latest updates on Faurecia activities throughout North America, connect with the company at: http://www.facebook.com/faureciaNA and http://www.twitter.com/faurecia_NA

SOURCE Faurecia