Fortune 500 companies have invested billions in Macomb in recent years, preparing the county to meet the challenges of an increasingly globalized and technology-driven world economy. Many foreign companies are aware of this, and our many other assets, and are making considerable investments in our communities. The following are just a few of the foreign corporations that have found the right combination of tools for success in Macomb County.

Faurecia

Headquartered in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, Faurecia is Europe’s second largest Tier I supplier of components to the automotive industry. The company, with manufacturing facilities in 27 countries, reports sales of over U.S.$13 billion worldwide (2005 estimated). Faurecia N.A. comes to Macomb County as a result of having been awarded major contracts to supply DaimlerChrysler with a range of components for its “D Segment” vehicles. Scheduled to go into production at the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant in 2007, these models will represent DaimlerChrysler’s new mid-size product line.

The first of Faurecia’s site-selection announcements for Macomb County came in April 2005 when Faurecia Automotive Seating finalized plans for the construction of a 90,000 square foot facility to be located in the city of Sterling Heights. This operation, which will assemble auto-seating sets for DaimlerChrysler’s SHAP, will create upwards of 200 new jobs within two years.

In June 2005, Faurecia Interior Systems made official its commitment to establish a manufacturing and technology center at the 28-acre site of a former manufacturing operation in the city of Fraser. There the company has acquired, and is making improvements to, a 264,000 square foot building: an investment totaling nearly $13 million. The facility principally will produce door panels, center consoles, instrument panels and cockpit assemblies for DCX-SHAP. Faurecia will also service a General Motors contract from this site. The company estimates that they will create more than 300 new jobs at this facility by the end of 2007, generating a payroll forecasted to reach $18 million.

The Department’s Economic Development Services Group is currently working with Faurecia on siting an additional facility in Macomb County. This “Just-in-Time” facility will be used for the assembly of front-end and cockpit modules to be shipped to DCX-SHAP for final assembly. Employment at this plant is estimated to exceed 200 jobs within the next two years.

Grupo Copo

The Pontevedra, Spain-based automotive supplier, Grupo Copo, is a rapidly growing global front-runner in the manufacture of extruded polyurethane. In 2003, the company reported sales of U.S.$300 million and had a workforce of 1,800 employees.

The company’s U.S. subsidiary, Copo Eagle has established a manufacturing operation in the Macomb County community of Shelby Township. At the 60,000 square foot facility, Copo manufactures automotive-seating components for the auto OEMs. Specifically, the company produces the foam for auto seat backs, bottom cushions, armrests and headrests. Copo anticipates that the work force at the Shelby Township plant will exceed 100 employees by the end of 2006.

Huron Precision Parts Corporation

The Huron Precision Parts Corporation and its parent company, the Ogura Corporation of Kiryu, Japan, are the world’s leading manufacturer of electromagnetic clutches for automobile air conditioning systems.

HPPC acquired a 27-acre parcel in the North Bay Park of Industry in Macomb County community of Chesterfield Township, where in 2002 they constructed a 177,000 square foot facility as the first phase of what will some day be an operation of approximately double this size. The facility primarily manufactures forgings for auto air conditioning clutches, but also produces components for general, industrial and other automotive requirements.

The company invested nearly $39 million in the facility and new machinery and equipment, and maintains a workforce of approximately 50 employees.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries – Climate Control

The Asian automotive giant, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, has established a presence in Macomb County with a product development and testing operation for its Climate Control Division. Having begun operation in 2004, the 40,000 square foot facility was newly constructed in the city of Sterling Height’s Plumbrook Technology Park, located on the Mound/Van Dyke “Tech-Knowledgy Corridor”. A special feature of the facility is a sophisticated wind tunnel that is used by engineers and specialists at the site to test climate control systems under a variable range of environmental conditions.

MHI’s nearly $8 million investment in its Sterling Heights facility is expected to create up to 75 jobs within the next several years.

Saint-Gobain Sekurit

The Paris-based corporation, Saint-Gobain Sekurit, is the world’s largest manufacturer of flat glass products. The company also holds the distinction of being the world’s oldest manufacturing concern in business today. Founded in 1665 by King Louis XIV to create the Hall of Mirrors at his palace at Versailles, S-GS is now a U.S.$30 billion company with a global workforce of over 180,000 employees.

The company established its first U.S.-based auto glass facility in Macomb County’s Shelby Township in 2001. They occupy more than 70,000 square feet in two buildings. Here, S-GS receives fabricated glass from their facility in Mexico and incorporates into the glass all of the fasteners, clips and other additional hardware that are necessary for its installation into auto bodies. Also on-site, a highly automated and proprietary process for the robotic application of adhesive to windscreens is utilized.

The principal customer for the Shelby Township facility is the G.M. Cadillac Division’s Hamtramck Assembly Plant. The operation maintains a workforce of approximately 125 employees.

Witzenmann GmbH

In 2005, Pforzheim, Germany-based Witzenmann celebrated its 150th Anniversary. As pioneers in machine-aided manufacturing, the company is credited with the invention of metal hose in 1885. Today, Witzenmann posts global sales in excess of €250 million and maintains a work force of more than 2,500 employees at 20 locations worldwide.

The company’s Macomb County operation, located in the city of Warren, is a supplier of stainless steel tubing and other flexible metallic components for auto exhaust systems and power trains. Their major customers are General Motors, DaimlerChrysler and Caterpillar. Having operated in Warren since 2000, Witzenmann has continued to grow, recently investing nearly $3 million in new machinery and equipment, and ramping up their work force to reach 70 employees.