FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich., June 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- MAHLE is opening two new manufacturing plants this week in Ramos Arizpe and Celaya, Mexico, to support automotive customers with assembly operations in the central and northeastern regions of the country.

Grand opening ceremonies for a new 367,000-square-foot MAHLE plant in Ramos Arizpe takes place today. The facility is located close to two other MAHLE facilities and is part of the company's Thermal Management business unit. Full production at the 59-million-USD plant will begin in July. Employment there is expected to increase from about 140 people in 2015 to 500 in 2018.

The company also will officially open a new 19-million-USD, 193,000-square-foot facility in Celaya on Wednesday, June 10.  The plant is part of MAHLE's Filtration and Engine Peripherals business unit and is expected to employ 450 people by 2019.

MAHLE's new Ramos Arizpe plant is near Saltillo in northeastern Mexico. The facility will produce HVAC modules and heat exchangers for passenger cars and commercial vehicles. The company's customers include General Motors, FCA (Fiat Chrysler), BMW, Audi, Daimler Trucks North America and Navistar.

Located in central Mexico northeast of Mexico City, the Filtration and Engine Peripherals plant in Celaya will produce air cleaner systems, air ducts, air intake manifolds and carbon canisters. Audi and Mazda both have new assembly plants under construction near Celaya, while Toyota and BMW have announced plans to build new assembly plants nearby as well.

"These two new facilities will help us further support our growing customer base in Mexico," said Prof. Dr. Heinz K. Junker, Chairman of the Management Board and CEO of the MAHLE Group.  "We're especially proud of the close working relationships we've developed with our customers throughout North America and our strong employee focus on quality."

With the two additions, MAHLE's footprint in Mexico will grow from 10 to 12 production facilities totaling more than 6,000 employees by 2019.

About MAHLE

As a leading global development partner for the automotive and engine industry, MAHLE offers unique systems competence in the areas of engine systems, filtration, electrics/mechatronics, and thermal management. In the original equipment industry, MAHLE provides technologically innovative solutions for automotive, commercial vehicle, machinery, and other industrial applications. The Aftermarket business unit also serves the independent parts market with MAHLE products in OE quality.

MAHLE has a local presence in all major world markets. In 2014, some 66,000 employees at approximately 150 production locations generated sales of nearly EUR 10 billion. At ten major research and development centers in Germany, Great Britain, the USA, Brazil, Japan, China, and India, almost 5,000 development engineers and technicians are working on forward-looking concepts, products, and systems.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140625/121511

SOURCE MAHLE