Japanese-European auto parts joint venture TBMeca Poland Sp. z.o.o. is launching a new engine plastic components plant in Legnickie Pole, Poland, in 2010.
The venture — run jointly by injection molder Mecaplast International of Monaco, Denso Europe BV and Toyota Boshoku Corp. — is investing nearly 10 million euros ($13.6 million) in the facility. It will produce air filters and other engine parts and employ 120.
This will be TBMeca's second facility in Poland, resulting from increasing demand for its products from a growing number of vehicle assembly plants in Central Europe. Its first unit, established in Legnica in October 2003, achieved profitability within two years.
Last year, TBMeca announced it was expanding the 56,000- square-foot production area of its Legnica plant by 16,200 square feet. The extension allowed the addition of two extra injection presses to supply air filters to Suzuki Corp. in Hungary.
The first plant already was making engine parts for two Toyota engine factories in Poland, the TPCA plant in the Czech Republic and Weesp, Netherlands-based Denso Europe. They include cylinder head covers, distributors, cooling-circuit parts and the intake screen.
Toyota Boshoku of Kariya, Japan, which holds a 30 percent stake in TBMeca, also has announced it will invest 30 million euros ($41 million) to form another joint venture, TBAI Poland Sp. z.o.o., this time with the Japanese firm Aisin Seiki Co. Ltd. TBAI Poland will make automotive interior parts in Nowogrodziec, Poland.
The new Polish company, run by local partners Toyota Boshoku Europe NV and Aisin Europe SA, will produce car-seating covers and frames for Toyota Boshoku group offshoots in Europe. The groups already have joint ventures in Guangzhou and Tianjin, China.
Toyota Boshoku earlier said a new subsidiary, Toyota Boshoku Somain S.A.S., is to take over the Sieto vehicle seating plant of Faurecia SA in Somain, France. The 195,000-square-foot unit, which will employ around 300, will begin seating production from 2010.
This will be the Japanese company's second automotive parts facility in France. It already has another unit making replacement car bumpers.