Johnson Controls Inc. has opened its first plant in Chengdu, China, to make seats and other parts for Volvo Car Corp.
The facility, operated by JCI's joint venture subsidiary Chongqing Yanfeng Johnson Controls Automotive Components Co. Ltd., currently employs 100 people making complete seats, headliners, floor console carriers and other parts for Volvo.
Chengdu, in western China, is home to Volvo's first Chinese assembly plant. Volvo is owned by China's Geely Automotive, which purchased the Swedish automaker in 2010. JCI, based in the Milwaukee suburb of Glendale, Wis., said in a Nov. 14 news release that the plant is the first “major supplier” to open for Volvo in the city.
JCI has targeted for China for continued growth. In 2012, it said it would open 10 new facilities in China in the “near future.”