ArvinMeritor Grows In Mexico, Decreases Presence In Tennessee

Compiled ByJill Jusko Global automotive supplier ArvinMeritor Inc. has completed an expansion of its wheel assembly plant in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, effectively doubling the plant's size to 194,000 sq ft. The expansion allows the plant to produce larger, heavier, and full-face wheels and will enable employment to increase by 500 when in full production. The San Luis Potosi plant features a stamping line, rim line, machine cells for both discs and rims, and a wheel assembly area. With the expansion, ArvinMeritor's San Luis Potosi plant is expected to supply more than 2 million wheels per year for light trucks and sport utility vehicles. The expansion supports ArvinMeritor's light-vehicle-systems automotive markets in the Americas. In other news, the company reported plans to relocate its light vehicle aftermarket operations from Pulaski, Tenn., citing weakened conditions in the light vehicle aftermarket segment and a need for cost synergies as reasons for the move. The facility, which employs about 230 people, is scheduled to close by the end of the year. Aftermarket customers will continue to be serviced from existing facilities in Canada, Oklahoma, Venezuela, and Mexico, according to a company statement. ArvinMeritor is based in Troy, Mich.