Siegel-Robert Automotive Begins Production in Suzhou, China.
Share:
SUZHOU, China, October 12, 2005 - Siegel-Robert Automotive unveiled its new Suzhou, China production facility during a grand opening ceremony for industry leaders, government officials, and members of the media.
The new production facility will produce high-quality decorative trim products for the Chinese and .global automotive tier 1 and original equipment manufacturers. These products include chrome plated and painted plastic grilles, nameplates, badges, door handles, and interior and exterior trim components. The approximately 22,000 square-meter facility, located one and a half hours from Shanghai, China, features the most advanced injection molding and chrome plating equipment in the industry to meet customer and environmental requirements
"We plan to grow our business in Asia," said Robert Simpson, president of Siegel-Robert Automotive. "We selected China because of the growing Chinese market, its proximity to current and potential customers, and its status as a low-cost country for global sourcing opportunities."
Vehicle manufacturers and Tier 1 suppliers have an increasing presence in China with both production facilities and sourcing offices for export purposes. Strategically, Siegel-Robert Automotive chose a location in China to support its Asian-based OEMs, current customers moving operations to China, strengthen its competitive position in the North American market, and to provide a base for export into Europe. Siegel-Robert Automotive opened a Sales and Engineering Office in Shanghai in 2004 to support Chinese production needs and to work with the various OEM and Tier 1 global sourcing office that continue to expand in China.
Plant construction began in July 2004 with an aggressive time schedule to be fully operational by the beginning of 2006. Initial plant production began in August 2005 and is on schedule to be in full production by January 2006.
"We have booked business for this plant and the start-up team for this facility is committed to meeting our production milestones to produce world class product," said Peter Styke, vice-president Asia Operations for Siegel-Robert Automotive. "And due to customer requirements, limited production actually began well ahead of schedule demonstrating this plant's dedication to the customer."
When fully operational in January, the plant will be capable of molding and plating ABS and PC/ABS materials with both bright and satin chrome finishes.
"We continue to get additional inquires for added business at our Chinese facility from current and potentially new customers," added Mr. Simpson. "We have planned for future production volume growth and additional decorative finishes with the ability to expand the facility by an additional 17,500 square-meters."
Siegel-Robert Automotive, a business unit of Siegel-Robert, Inc., is a full-service interior and exterior decorative trim supplier to the global transportation industry. The company specializes in chrome-plated, painted and decorated injection molded plastic products and offers a wide range of resources including product design and engineering, component testing and validation, and complete program management. The website is www.srob.com.
The Siegel-Robert Corporation is a global diversified industrial manufacturer of highly engineered value added products serving customers in the Automotive, Safety / Air Monitoring, Semiconductor Packaging, Furniture, Pressure Relief and Custom Molded Products industries. Siegel-Robert is a privately held corporation with presence in 57 countries, more than 3,500 employees and sales in excess of $500 million. Their website is www.srob.com.
