Automotive 
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TOKYO (May 16, 3:30 p.m. ET) -- A resin and compounding joint venture majority owned by Mitsui Chemicals Inc. has acquired a controlling stake in a Brazilian compounder. The joint venture -- Prime Polymer Co. Ltd. of Tokyo -- also has confirmed plans to increase compounding capacity at sites in the U.S., Mexico and China.
May 16, 2012
BURSCHEID, GERMANY (May 15, 12:30 p.m. ET) -- Automotive interiors supplier Johnson Controls Inc. said May 14 that it is to exploit its expertise in natural-fiber processing technology in parts for vehicle exteriors.
May 15, 2012
SOUTHFIELD, MICH. (May 15, 12:30 p.m. ET) -- Southfield-based auto supplier Janesville Acoustics opened a 90,000-square-foot plant in central Mexico last week. Janesville Acoustics invested about $4.5 million in the plant and within two months expects to employ 150.
May 15, 2012
BIRMINGHAM, MICH. (May 14, 4:10 p.m. ET) -- General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group learned some very hard lessons during their 2009 bankruptcies, including one taught by their Japanese competitors: Better supplier relations pay dividends. There’s increasing evidence to show that lesson is taking root. An annual report on how suppliers view their automaker customers finds that GM and Chrysler have reduced dramatically the supplier-relations gap with perennial leaders Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. -- in part because those Japanese automakers have fallen from their former pedestals.
May 14, 2012
TROY, MICH. (May 14, 4 p.m. ET) -- Suppliers need a champion at General Motors Co., says Bob Lutz. And he says he tried to play that role, with mixed success. During a recent automotive conference in suburban Detroit, Lutz said he tried to coax former GM CEO Rick Wagoner and purchasing chief Bo Andersson to foster long-term relationships with suppliers.
May 14, 2012
DETROIT (May 14, 3:50 p.m. ET) -- Andra Rush has a history of capitalizing on opportunities -- from growing a meager trucking company funded by personal credit cards into a $115 million operation, to creating an interiors joint venture with Canadian supplier Magna International Inc. But a new venture with French auto supplier Faurecia SA could be her biggest accomplishment -- and challenge -- yet.
May 14, 2012
BEIJING (May 10, 3 p.m. ET) — When Automobili Lamborghini SpA unveiled its newest supercar concept — a carbon fiber sports utility vehicle study — it didn’t take it to Paris or Los Angeles or Tokyo or Detroit.
May 10, 2012
LEXINGTON, MASS. (May 10, 1:10 p.m. ET) -- The global auto industry appears ready to avoid any shutdowns due to the shortage of nylon 12, with procedures in place to replace the resin when needed, says an industry watcher.
May 10, 2012
DETROIT (May 8, 4 p.m. ET) -- One might expect the shortage of nylon 12 -- a material used to coat fuel lines and other components -- to cause the auto industry to abandon just-in-time parts delivery.
May 8, 2012
HONG KONG (May 7, 3 p.m. ET) -- Injection molder and metals fabricator Eva Precision Industrial Holdings Ltd. is building a large factory complex in the central Chinese city of Wuhan to target China’s domestic auto market.
May 7, 2012
SINGAPORE (May 7, 2:50 p.m. ET) -- Injection molder and toolmaker Sunningdale Tech Ltd expects the business environment to continue to remain challenging for the rest of the year.
May 7, 2012
AUBURN HILLS, MICH. (May 7, 2 p.m. ET) -- US Farathane Corp. has begun hiring for its newest plant, in Austin, Texas. The company is set to bring 228 jobs to Austin by the end of 2014, according to documents filed with the city of Austin. The facility will injection mold auto parts for USF’s customers in the region.
May 7, 2012
WINDSOR, ONTARIO (May 4, 3:20 p.m. ET) -- Custom injection molder Lakeside Plastics Ltd. is poised to capitalize on renewed growth in the automotive market. President Glenn Coates said his firm invested US$6 million in machinery and automation last year and another US$2 million to connect and expand its three adjacent facilities in Windsor. Injection molding sales since the 2009 recession have grown 79 percent to US$46.3 million in 2011. In the past year, Lakeside hired 125 new workers to boost its ranks to 340, a peak in the company’s history.
May 4, 2012
SHANGHAI (May 4, 3:15 p.m. ET) -- Oechsler Plastic Products (Taicang) Co. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary by Ansbach, Germany-based precision molder Oechsler AG, reported a whopping 160 percent growth of sales and a major facility expansion.
May 4, 2012
DETROIT (May 3, 11:50 a.m. ET) -- Faurecia SA has signed a deal to acquire the massive Saline, Mich., auto parts operation of Automotive Components Holdings LLC in a move Faurecia said will make it North America’s largest auto interiors supplier. Faurecia also plans to spin off some operations into a newly created joint venture employing up to 500 people.
May 3, 2012
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