The North American market continues to offer growth to ThyssenKrupp (IW 1000/82) as evidenced by the opening of a new plant in Puebla, Mexico on April 24.
The new site can produce over 1 million steering columns, 7 million steering shafts and 45 million cold-forged steering parts per year.
“Our order books are full so we are constantly expanding our production capacities in Mexico and the U.S.,” explained Dr. Karsten Kroos, CEO of the Components Technology business area. “In the past three fiscal years we have invested around 185 million euros here. Now we want to raise the tempo even more. To fulfil new orders we are planning further investment in North America averaging around 80 million euros a year up to 2020. Around half of this will go into expanding and building new plants in Mexico."
The investments will focus on expanding production capacities for chassis and engine components. In February of 2015 ThyssenKrupp opened a new front axle assembly facility in Puebla. The company is also currently building a further axle assembly plant 70 kilometers away in San Jose Chiapa to supply Audi beginning in 2016. In the coming year, work is expected to start on the construction of a production line for cylinder head covers at a new engine components plant in the Bajio region.
With this new steering plant, ThyssenKrupp now produces components for the automotive industry at four sites in Mexico. The product portfolio ranges from engine and steering components to springs and stabilizers to the assembly of axle modules.
The ThyssenKrupp components technology division currently employs around 4,500 people at 11 locations in North America, with Mexico accounting for almost half this figure. The construction of new plants is set to increase the number of employees in Mexico by approximately 40% in the next five years.
