ARaymond Expands In Michigan While Marking Its 150th Anniversary
ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich., June 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- ARaymond has invested more than $12 million in building and equipment to expand its Rayconnect, Inc. manufacturing operations in southeastern Michigan.
Local civic and governmental leaders today attended dedication ceremonies for the new facilities in Rochester Hills with ARaymond Network president and CEO, Antoine Raymond. Rayconnect is part of the ARaymond Network of companies which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year.
The expansion adds 30,000 square feet of manufacturing and office space to an existing 75,000-square-foot Rayconnect facility and will allow the plant to run three, eight-hour shifts, five days a week.
Mr. Antoine Raymond said the facility will be adding more than 60 new employees over a span of more than two years of expansion, including highly skilled production technicians to operate new injection molding and assembly machines. There also will be openings for maintenance technicians and manufacturing, supply-chain and logistics support functions, as well as other administrative personnel.
The plant produces Quick Connect fittings for fluid-handling systems for the automotive, heavy truck, recreational, off-road vehicle and industrial markets. The fittings are used for fuel lines, fuel vapor lines, coolant hoses, oil hoses and other fluid applications.
The expansion nearly doubles the number of injection molding machine capacity at the plant from 26 to 46 and adds room for six additional assembly machines for a total of 18. In addition to its investment in production equipment and brick-and-mortar facilities, the company is adding injection-molding tools and other auxiliary equipment to produce assembly components.
"ARaymond™ Quick Connector products are used by virtually every automotive OEM in the world," explained Craig Cheney, the VP of Business Development. "Our direct customer base includes Tier II and Tier III automotive and heavy-truck suppliers for tube and hose assemblies."
Gary Warren, the facility's operation manager noted that when the plant opened six years ago it achieved certification from the United States Green Building Council for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED Gold), one of the few manufacturing facilities certified LEED Gold in Michigan. The facility sits on 10 acres overlooking a lake and a natural habitat area south of M-59 and west of Crooks Road.
"Our objective is to be a socially and environmentally responsible corporate citizen," Warren added. "We are connected to Oakland University to further support learning and help in the development of new talent. We also believe in employee empowerment at all levels throughout the organization – empowerment that clearly contributes to the growth and success of our operations."
Officials attending the dedication program included Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan Barnett and Tony Vernacy, vice president for business attraction at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
Speaking at the dedication ceremonies, Mayor Barnett said "I am so proud that world-class companies like ARaymond have chosen Rochester Hills as their home. ARaymond has brought nearly 200 high-tech jobs and millions of investment dollars to the City of Rochester Hills and has quickly become part of the fabric of our business community.
"We are happy to celebrate their continued growth in Rochester Hills and we are committed to working together with them for years to come."
ARaymond's original manufacturing facility in the United States opened in 1986 in Rochester Hills and today produces engineered injection-molded fasteners for the automotive industry. The A. Raymond Tinnerman Automotive, Inc. plant will mark its 30th anniversary next year. The facility has 114 employees.
A. Raymond Tinnerman Automotive produces various components for use with interior, exterior, powertrain and chassis applications. The company also offers automation and assembly-line analysis, as well as process development as part of its comprehensive strategic approach for improving customer productivity.
A leading supplier to automotive manufacturers around the world, the ARaymond Network is an industrial success story that started in France 150 years ago with the invention of a press-stud that fastened buttons onto gloves and high-top shoes. Headquartered in Grenoble, France, ARaymond today has 5,500 employees in 25 countries at 25 production sites and 11 design offices. Global sales last year exceeded $1 billion.
The company was started by Albert-Pierre Raymond in 1865 and has been continued by four generations of entrepreneurs from the Raymond family (all with the first initial "A"). In addition to the automotive and heavy truck industries, ARaymond operates across a diverse set of market segments, including industrial, energy, agriculture and medical life sciences.
The group's core skills include:
- Customer engineering support and services;
- Metal processing;
- Plastic injection molding;
- Production of adhesives,
- Automated high-speed assembly of parts made of metal, plastic or a combination of both.
In North America, Rayconnect manufactures fluid connectors and A. Raymond Tinnerman manufactures clips, fasteners and connectors. The two companies have sales, engineering and manufacturing facilities in the Detroit suburbs of Rochester Hills and Auburn Hills. Other ARaymond facilities in North America are located in Brunswick, Ohio; Logansport, Ind.; Flemingsburg, Ky., and Hamilton, Ontario.
For more information, visit www.araymond.com.
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SOURCE ARaymond
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