Manufacturing

Global auto supplier Faurecia expands Saline operations, improves facility

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January 9, 2013

A new high-speed slush skin line has been installed to support the Ford Focus program. In time for the winter auto show season, dollars are hitting the road. Faurecia, the sixth-largest automotive supplier world-wide, is using the proceeds of an Industrial Facilities Tax incentive from the city of Saline to make what Ray Boufford, vice president of strategic transformation for Faurecia, calls a "significant investment" at its Saline factory. Ann Arbor SPARK helped to facilitate the deal between the manufacturer and the city of Saline. In its 1.6 million sq.ft. factory, Faurecia manufactures cockpits, instrument and door panels, and center consoles for Ford vehicles. "Under Faurecia ownership, Saline will become a technology plant that focuses on such core technologies as injection molding, skin manufacturing and foaming operations for interior systems. Faurecia is reconfiguring the plant into a streamlined, one-piece flow operation replacing the previous lay out," Boufford says in an email. The redesign work started when Faurecia began operations in Saline in June of 2012, and will continue over the next few years. Other upgrades include new plant floor lighting and painting the formerly brown walls white for a brighter work atmosphere. Over the past year, Faurecia has added eight new North American locations, including four in Southeast Michigan. "The plant will employ approximately 1,200 once the transformation is complete," Boufford says. Sources: Ray Boufford, vice president of strategic transformation for Faurecia; Ann Arbor SPARK Writer: Tanya Muzumdar Image courtesy of Faurecia

Latest in Manufacturing

Ypsilanti’s ISSYS set to begin clinical trials

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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January 9, 2013

Integrated Sensing Systems, AKA ISSYS, is looking tot expand its product portfolio from micro sensors in the life sciences industry to micro sensors that can be used in the industrial space. Since 1995, the Ypsilanti-based business has designed and developed microelectromechanical systems for medical and scientific sensing applications. Its latest piece of technology is an implant that allows medical professionals to wirelessly monitor the heart. "We hope to begin clinical studies early next year," says Nader Najafi, president & CEO of Integrated Sensing Systems. He adds he hopes to begin sales in Europe in 2014 and in the U.S. the next year. The company is also looking at selling fluid sensors in industrial manufacturing, however, the company is still in the early stages of exploring that new market. "We're trying to bring in strategic partners," Najafi says. Integrated Sensing Systems employs 25 people and has made a handful of hires in 2012. It expects to add a couple more jobs in 2013. Source: Nader Najafi, president & CEO of Integrated Sensing Systems Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Dexter’s k-Space Assoc expands staff as it moves into new HQ

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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December 19, 2012

Dexter-based k-Space Associates is celebrating its 20th year of being in business and Darryl Barlett, the firm's general manager, attributes its success to two things: "It's making products people can actually use," Barlett says. "That's No. 1. The No. 2 is giving people good technical support. The manufacturer and tech firm develops and makes diagnostic tools for the semi-conductor industry. It recently doubled the size of its manufacturing and research-and-development facility, moving into the new space last summer. The company has hired four people over the last year, expanding its staff to 25 employees and the occasional intern. The new hires include engineers, assembly workers and technicians. Barlett expects to hire two more people in 2013 and has one open position for an internal technical sales person. "We need that person right now," Barlett says. Source: Darryl Barlett, general manager of k-Space Associates Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Coherix expands staff by 20, looks to hire another 10

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Economic Development

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October 10, 2012

Coherix is growing sales and staff, and is currently eyeing an even bigger payday in the near future. The 8-year-old Ann Arbor-based tech start-up has hired 20 people over the last year and is looking to add another 10 employees in software programing and sales. Its staff currently stands at 43 employees and three interns after the firm doubled its sales over the last year. "We're on a path to double our revenue growth over the next year," says Dwight Carlson, chairman & CEO of Coherix. "We're looking at an initial public offering in 2014." Coherix creates high-speed, high-definition 3D visualization and inspection software designed to improve the management of manufacturing processes. Its high-tech optical-based measurement and inspection products help find efficiencies in the automotive and semiconductor industries. The company originally set up shop in southeast Michigan because of the region's high concentration of manufacturing. Today with the global shift in manufacturing eastward, about 70 percent of Coherix's customers are in Asia, and that's with the boost in manufacturing in Michigan thanks to the rebounding automotive industry. "Coherix China will be the biggest Coherix operation in five years," Carlson says. Source: Dwight Carlson, chairman & CEO of Coherix Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Terumo Cardiovascular Systems invests $4.9M in Ann Arbor facility

By Tanya Muzumdar

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Development News

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August 8, 2012

Terumo Cardiovascular Systems is augmenting its 45-plus year lifespan in Ann Arbor with a new $4.9 million capital investment project. With the help of Ann Arbor SPARK, Terumo CVS, a maker and global exporter of heart and lung machines and other devices used in cardiac surgery, has secured a tax abatement from Scio Township of up to 12 years for the project. Included in the investment are a manufacturing execution system to automate the collection and reporting of manufacturing and quality data in real time, an expanded and improved recycling center, the deployment of compact florescent lighting technology on an industrial scale, a new service training room, and a new HVAC system for the chemistry lab, according to Barbara Schmid, the company's communications director. The 600-employee firm purchased over $20 million worth of products and services from Michigan-based suppliers last year, according to Schmid. "The improvements are making possible continued business expansion and investment," Schmid says. We are still hiring...We have about 30 open positions right now." Schmid says the project is expected to be complete by April of 2013. Source: Barbara Schmid, corporate communications director, Terumo CVS Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Current Motor Co. to open showrooms in Chicago, Brazil

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Economic Development

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June 27, 2012

Current Motor Co. plans to sell its electric motorcycles all across the Western Hemisphere this year, with plans to open showrooms in Chicago and Brazil this summer. The company launched in 2010 as the amibtion of local environmentalists and tinkerers John Harding and Erik Kauppi. The Ann Arbor-based start-up received venture capital investment from BELLE Capital last year, allowing it to mass market its electric motorcycles. Current Motor Co. plans to open its first U.S. showroom and service center in Chicago by Labor Day. It is also in the process of beginning sales in Brazil this week, taking on the third largest market for motorcycles in the world. Brazil only trails China and India, respectively, for motorcycle sales. "We are looking at becoming a significant player in the electric motorcycle market," says Lauren Flanagan, executive chair of Current Motor Co. Flanagan and her team of 16 employees and three interns have been laying the groundwork for this launch for more than a year, signing partnerships with manufacturers and other key support firms. She says her firm, which has hired five people in the last year, is ready to meet the expected rush of consumer demand. "We have more scale than anyone in the industry," Flanagan says. "It's why we're launching early in Brazil." Source: Lauren Flanagan, executive chair of Current Motor Co. Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Hines Industries hires 7, plans to bring on 20 more this year

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Community Development

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June 27, 2012

Hines Industries is making a six-figure investment in expanding the family owned company's Ann Arbor operations. The automotive supplier has received a $250,000 loan from the Michigan Economic Development Corp that it plans to use as working capital to grow its business. The 32-year-old company has hired seven people in the last year, bringing on engineers, manufacturing personnel and technicians. It plans to hire another 20 people over the next year, growth that will include new jobs in software development, engineering and marketing. "The family has decided it wants to expand the business," says Dawn Hines, CEO of Hines Industries. "There is a lot of opportunity out there." Hines Industries specializes in the design and manufacture of balancing equipment with a goal of improving efficiency of manufacturing processes. It offers standard dynamic balancing machine models and specialized balanced configurations for the automotive industry. Hines received the $250,000 loan from the state because it has a new agreement with Chrysler that promises to generate $3.3 million in revenue and $1.4 million in gross profit. "This program has allowed us to build up our talent in the company," Hines says. "We're building up our engineering department and our service department." Source: Dawn Hines, CEO of Hines Industries Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Jolly Pumpkin brewery to quintuple production space at new Dexter location

By Tanya Muzumdar

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Development News

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May 23, 2012

A former automotive parts warehouse in Dexter will be undergoing a cleanup and transformation into a new brewery and distillery for Northern United Brewing Company, LLC, doing business as Jolly Pumpkin. A tasting room and retail shop is also included in the plans for the former Martinrea/Pilot building located at 2319 Bishop Circle. Last week, the Dexter Village Council approved Jolly Pumpkin's application to the state for micro brewer, small winemaker, and small distiller licenses. As the property is zoned industrial, the company is working with the village to obtain the necessary approvals for a tasting room, according to Ron Jeffries, co-founder and co-owner of Jolly Pumpkin. Jeffries hopes to be up and running in the new location by September or October. The company will move production from its Broad St. site in Dexter, where it has 10,000 square feet of production space. The purchase of the new building will nearly quintuple the production floor, to 48,000 square feet. The facility is about 85,000 square feet in total. Jeffries says renovations will include new sloped floors with floor drains and trench drains, plumbing, CO² drops to production areas for bottling, modification of existing offices, and the installation of quality assurance and quality control labs. "Every year we've doubled our sales," says Jeffries. "We're just flat out of space in our existing building so we've been looking for a while to find the right space and we wanted to stay in Dexter ... We take orders from our wholesalers that we can't fulfill for months just because of the size of our production facility. There's an opportunity for oak-aged sour beer, which takes quite a while to produce, for some instant growth." Jeffries projects adding anywhere from 10-20 jobs as an immediate result of the expansion, and possibly up to 50 within a year and a half after opening. Staff will be needed for brewing, quality control, packaging, office support, and sales and marketing roles. While distilling and wine making operations will be ongoing, first and foremost, the facility will be a brewery, he says. "While we will have wine and spirits going on there, it's not any sort of Jack Daniels or something." Source: Ron Jeffries, co-founder and co-owner of Jolly Pumpkin Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Tecumseh Products Co. opens tech center in Pittsfield Township

By Tanya Muzumdar

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Development News

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May 16, 2012

Tecumseh Products Company, a global maker of compressors for refrigeration and air conditioning units, has just opened a multi-million-dollar, 35,000-square-foot laboratory operation in its new technology center in Pittsfield Township's State Street Business Park. An additional 15,000 square feet of space at the front of the facility, which totals 50,000 square feet, will be built out into office space at some point in the future, says Michael Smith, the firm's manager of global marketing communications and branding. The facility was in a raw state when Tecumseh Products Co. purchased it in late 2010. "We actually had dirt floors in the building," Smith says. No more. The lab space now has a slew of computer simulation, testing, and analysis tools, including two large-scale environmental chambers with hydrocarbon refrigerant testing capability, as well as full-scale reliability and calorimeter testing and a hemi-anechoic chamber. The Pittsfield Township-based manufacturer, which employs 6,300 worldwide, moved its lab facilities from Tecumseh because "we like being near Ann Arbor. It gives us the opportunity to be close to the University of Michigan and the research hub and all the other things that Ann Arbor provides." Twenty-five employees work at the new lab. Most are transfers from Tecumseh, but three are new hires. There are no plans to add more employees at this time, Smith says. Source: Michael Smith, manager of global marketing communications and branding, Tecumseh Products Co. Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Dynics, Inc. adds 4 jobs, plans 50% expansion of manufacturing space

By Tanya Muzumdar

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Development News

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May 9, 2012

Shortly after a recent move into a new Ann Arbor headquarters, Dynics, Inc., a maker of industrial computer systems, large-format touch screen kiosks, and interactive monitors, is planning to expand its new space by 50 percent. The firm closed on the $1 million purchase of the 14,762-square-foot facility at 620 Technology Drive at the end of March and is awaiting approval from Pittsfield Township to begin a 7,000-square-foot expansion, according to Dynics President Ed Gatt. He hopes to start the expansion work at the end of May. "We're at capacity right now," Gatt says. "I am booked solid right now. So we're going to add more metal shop capability and powder coat. We're going to add a lot more capabilities and people in house." The 26-employee firm has already hired four employees this year and is looking to add four more before the year is up, says Gatt. Source: Ed Gatt, president, Dynics, Inc. Writer: Tanya Muzumdar