FORVIA to Invest US$147 million in New Apodaca Facilities

FORVIA, the group created after Faurecia acquired a controlling stake in HELLA, announced a US$147 million investment to open new facilities in Apodaca, Nuevo Leon. The facilities will include one plant for interior design and another for seating production. The project will create 1,500 direct jobs and is expected to begin operations by 4Q22.

"The interiors plant will represent an investment of US$75 million, including machines and the facilities for vehicle interior design," said Stephane Letrudet, Vice President, Faurecia Interiors Mexico. The plant will be equipped with instrument panels, production lines for other interior modules and technologies for plastic injection, vibration welding, ultrasound welding and assembly based on renewable energy technologies, she added.

FORVIA’s seating division has grown solidly worldwide, said Robert Grienenberg, Vice President, Faurecia Seating Mexico. Design of car seats has changed radically in recent decades, as environmental concerns are gaining relevance and the industry focuses on reducing the weight of materials, he added.

After the successful acquisition of HELLA by Faurecia on Jan. 31, 2022, the resulting group, FORVIA, became the seventh global largest automotive supplier. “We are FORVIA. This new name reflects core elements of our Faurecia and HELLA brands, as well giving a good translation of our shared purpose: inspiring mobility. This new Group represents 150,000 talented individuals across more than 40 countries inspired by one vision. As FORVIA, we are shaping safe, sustainable, advanced and customized mobility for today’s and tomorrow’s generations,” said Patrick Koller, CEO, Faurecia.

The new group operates 24 production sites and 21 R&D centers worldwide. In Mexico alone, Faurecia has 14 plants for seating, interiors and clean mobility, plus two R&D centers and one shared service center, as reported by MBN. HELLA, on its own, has seven manufacturing complexes in the country. The new facilities in Apodaca’s Nexxus Industrial Park represent the group’s first joint plant in Mexico.

Mexico is Ready for More R&D

Traditionally recognized for its manufacturing operations, Mexico has become a promising land for R&D and engineering operations. Recently, ZF Group started building a new R&D center in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, for the development and manufacture of future-proof mobility solutions.

Faurecia currently has two R&D centers in Mexico, focused on seating and interiors, said Karla Góngora, R&D Director México, Faurecia, during Mexico Automotive Summit 2021 ECHO: "In the early 2000s, Faurecia’s three facilities in Puebla were fully focused in manufacturing, but the company was aware of where the industry was going so it started to invest in engineering operations. In 2007, we launched our first R&D center in Santa Fe.”