A. Raymond Inc. is investing more than $12 million to add 30,000 square feet and 20 injection molding machines and other equipment to its Rayconnect Inc. manufacturing facility, according to a news release.
The Rayconnect facility in Rochester Hills, Mich., is currently 75,000 square feet and is situated on 10 acres overlooking a lake and a natural habitat.
The company said that the improvements to the plant will allow it to run three eight-hour shifts, five days a week.
Rayconnect makes quick connect fittings for fluid handling systems for automotive, heavy truck, recreational, off-road vehicles and the industrial market. The fittings are used for fuel lines, fuel vapor lines, coolant hoses, oil hoses and other fluid applications.
Rayconnect said the investment will boost the number of its injection molding machines from 26 to 46 and also add room for six additional assembly machines to run that total to 18. The company will also add injection molding tools and other auxiliary equipment.
A. Raymond opened its first U.S. factory in Rochester Hills in 1986 and that plant is still producing engineered injection molded fasteners for the auto industry.
The A. Raymond network got its start 150 years ago in France with the invention of a press-stud that fastened buttons onto gloves and high-top shoes. It is currently headquartered in Grenoble, France, and has 5,500 employees in 25 countries. It operates 25 production sites and 11 design offices worldwide. A. Raymond's global sales topped $1 billion last year.
In North America, the company operates Rayconnect, which makes fluid connectors, and A. Raymond Tinnerman, a maker of clips, fasteners and connectors.