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voestalpine Begins Producing Ultrahigh-Strength Automotive Components in the U.S.
04/22/2014 - The voestalpine Group’s 17th production site in the U.S. began operation today.
voestalpine Automotive Body Parts Inc., a subsidiary of the Metal Forming Division, is manufacturing ultrahigh-strength body-in-white components for premium car manufacturers in Cartersville, Ga. This € 50 million investment (about US$ 70 million) will create 220 jobs. It completes the first phase of the Group’s extensive internationalization program in the automotive sector. Since 2012, voestalpine has invested over € 100 million (US$ 140 million) in new plants in China, Germany, Romania, South Africa, and the USA. Additional plants and expanded capacity are in the planning stage.
The steel-based technology and capital goods group voestalpine has consistently expanded its internationalization program. In recent months, new facilities and expanded production capacity went into operation close to the production facilities of well-known premium car manufacturers on four continents. The global presence that already exists in other divisions was thus extended to the automotive sector of the Metal Forming Division.
“We are following the automotive manufacturers, particularly the European ones, into the markets of the future and massively expanding our presence there. With our new materials, we have managed to produce components that have absolutely unique selling points on a global level. We are only at the beginning of our development in the processing area and are therefore accelerating our internationalization program,” said Wolfgang Eder, CEO of voestalpine AG.
In the business year 2012/13, the voestalpine Group generated 44% of its revenue of € 11.5 billion (US$ 15.8 billion) in the mobility area, with about two-thirds of that coming from the automotive industry.
In his speech of October last year, U.S. President Obama lauded the U.S. activities of voestalpine as one of the top foreign investments in the USA. The production facility in Cartersville has now been inaugurated.
“Cartersville is centrally located in the southern automotive cluster close to our customers. When fully operational, we will employ 220 persons,” said Herbert Eibensteiner, member of the voestalpine AG Management Board and head of the Metal Forming Division.
“We have landed several long-term contracts for sophisticated automotive components with well-known manufacturers. Our components are in high demand by all of the automotive manufacturers worldwide,“ said Eibensteiner.
For the time being, the Group’s customers will be European, primarily German automotive manufacturers. Eibensteiner provided specifics about the company’s growth plans: “The U.S. market is of particular strategic importance to the voestalpine Group and is a central element in the pursuit of our goal of increasing Group revenue in North America to € 3 billion, or about US$ 3.9 billion, by 2020,” stated Eder. In all, the Metal Forming Division with its high-quality metal processing solutions contributes about one-fifth of the Group’s total revenue. In turn, complex components for the automotive industry make up about half of that.
The steel-based technology and capital goods group voestalpine has consistently expanded its internationalization program. In recent months, new facilities and expanded production capacity went into operation close to the production facilities of well-known premium car manufacturers on four continents. The global presence that already exists in other divisions was thus extended to the automotive sector of the Metal Forming Division.
“We are following the automotive manufacturers, particularly the European ones, into the markets of the future and massively expanding our presence there. With our new materials, we have managed to produce components that have absolutely unique selling points on a global level. We are only at the beginning of our development in the processing area and are therefore accelerating our internationalization program,” said Wolfgang Eder, CEO of voestalpine AG.
In the business year 2012/13, the voestalpine Group generated 44% of its revenue of € 11.5 billion (US$ 15.8 billion) in the mobility area, with about two-thirds of that coming from the automotive industry.
In his speech of October last year, U.S. President Obama lauded the U.S. activities of voestalpine as one of the top foreign investments in the USA. The production facility in Cartersville has now been inaugurated.
“Cartersville is centrally located in the southern automotive cluster close to our customers. When fully operational, we will employ 220 persons,” said Herbert Eibensteiner, member of the voestalpine AG Management Board and head of the Metal Forming Division.
“We have landed several long-term contracts for sophisticated automotive components with well-known manufacturers. Our components are in high demand by all of the automotive manufacturers worldwide,“ said Eibensteiner.
For the time being, the Group’s customers will be European, primarily German automotive manufacturers. Eibensteiner provided specifics about the company’s growth plans: “The U.S. market is of particular strategic importance to the voestalpine Group and is a central element in the pursuit of our goal of increasing Group revenue in North America to € 3 billion, or about US$ 3.9 billion, by 2020,” stated Eder. In all, the Metal Forming Division with its high-quality metal processing solutions contributes about one-fifth of the Group’s total revenue. In turn, complex components for the automotive industry make up about half of that.
