Tower Automotive Closing Three Automotive Plants

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Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Incorporated; Houston, Texas). Tower Automotive (Novi, Michigan) has announced that it would be closing three of its manufacturing plants by the end of June and severely trimming employment at a fourth, eliminating approximately 500 jobs from its Dodge Ram light-truck line.

Tower plans to move frame assembly production to its Mexican joint venture partner, Metalsa (Apodaca, Nuevo Leon, Mexico), in which it owns a 40% interest, by June 2005. Tower's JV partner is Metalsa S de RL (Apodaca), a business unit of Grupo Proeza SA de CV (Promotora de Empresas Zano) (Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico). Metalsa is Mexico's largest manufacturer of automotive frames and structures. The Tower/Metalsa joint venture also owns plants in San Luis Potosí, SLP, Mexico, and Roanoke, Virginia. The Roanoke plant, known as Metalsa-Roanoke Incorporated, was expanded in 2003, adding a $32 million, 150,000 square foot facility next door to its 185,000 square foot existing plant.

Tower Automotive Incorporated produces a broad range of stamped and welded assemblies for vehicle body structures and suspension systems. Tower's products include body pillars, full frame assemblies, chassis, brake parts, suspension links, truck frames, axles, and related components for Ford Motor (35% of sales), DaimlerChrysler (19%), General Motors (10%), as well as for other automotive OEMs.

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