Aluminum wheel manufacturer Superior Industries International Inc. selected a site in Chihuahua, Mexico, for the new plant it announced last month. The California-based company has agreed in principle to an undisclosed “series of incentives” with the state of Chihuahua, where Superior is already in operation.
Details of the new production capacity are scarce, too. In March, Superior budgeted $125 million to $135 million to build new capacity, and it explained that groundbreaking would begin this year and construction would be completed in about two years.
At that time, chairman, president, and CEO Steven J. Borick said the condition of Superior Industries’ manufacturing operations had impeded the company’s ability to take advantage of improved demand from the North American automotive market. The plan to build new production capacity in Mexico is linked to the increase in light-vehicle manufacturing there.
“Our team of employees in Chihuahua is a critical part of our success and we are excited to be able to commit to providing more opportunities there,” Borick said.
“Our positive discussions with the state government of Chihuahua exemplify the cooperative relationship that has existed for the 20 years that Superior has been operating in Mexico,” stated Borick.
Borick said the incentives “address capital and operating cost and expanding the pool of talented employees needed as we grow.”
Superior Industries calls itself “the largest manufacturer of aluminum wheels for passenger cars and light-duty vehicles in North America.” Its five plants in Fayetteville and Rogers, AR, Southfield, MI, and Chihuahua, Mexico, produce aluminum wheels for Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp., Chrysler Group LLC, BMW, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota, and Volkswagen.
The company produces approximately 12.5 million wheels annually, and its expansion would add 2 million to 2.5 million wheels to that total.
Also in March, Superior said it would increase capital investment at its current plants above 2011 and 2012 levels, “to improve process capability and operating efficiency, especially in the U.S.”