Benteler Automotive Fast-Tracks New Alabama Plant

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Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Incorporated, Houston, Texas) Benteler Automotive Corporation (Auburn Hills, Michigan), a division of Benteler AG (Paderborn, Germany), has recently begun site preparation and foundation work on its new plant in Opelika, Alabama. Benteler Opelika, a manufacturer of vehicle chassis systems, will serve the Mercedes-Benz plant in nearby Vance, Alabama.

Construction has proceeded on time, in spite of bad weather, and completion of the plant is projected for September. In September, Benteler plans to begin hiring an initial workforce of 150, which they expect to grow to 300 within five years. The plant is being constructed on a 38-acre site in a 2,000-acre business park off Interstate 85, Exit 66, and is scheduled to be operational by the end of the year. Benteler has bought enough land to double the size of the plant in the future, as production demands.

W. G. Yates (Marietta, Georgia) is general contractor for the $20 million, 144,000 square foot plant.

In January of this year, Benteler was presented with one of only two awards General Motors awarded to its top suppliers for product improvement and value engineering ideas. The company is the largest and one of the oldest family-owned independent suppliers of automotive products in the world, and is the world leader in the supply of integrated suspension and chassis modules. Besides its superior manufacturing capabilities, Benteler also offers vehicle design, systems engineering, and testing capabilities. IIR tracks Benteler plants in Mexico, Michigan, and Indiana, as well as the new plant under construction in Opelika, Alabama.

Benteler Automotive has U.S. plants in Michigan and Indiana, as well as several in Mexico. This plant will be Benteler's first plant in the Southern U.S.