HBPO Plans For Double-Digit Growth Rates In North America

TROY, Mich., July 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- HBPO, the auto industry's largest global supplier of front-end modules, plans to expand its North American operations due in part to a growing demand from electric- and autonomous-vehicle manufacturers.

The company expects to add an assembly plant in Michigan and more than double employment in North America within the next four years.

In the last three years alone, HBPO has opened four new N.A. assembly plants and added five new automotive customers, including two electric-vehicle makers, according to Diana Mannino, president of HBPO North America.

The company also has increased production of plastic components by 50 percent with the addition of a third injection-molding press earlier this year at its assembly plant in Puebla, Mexico.

"The number of new-vehicle models equipped with HBPO front-end modules (FEMs) in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico is expected to grow by 60 percent from 12 in 2017 to more than 19 in 2022," she said. "Our annual sales in North America are expected to increase by 70 percent to more than $1 billion over the same period."

Mannino noted that a major portion of the company's current product-development work in North America is focused on future electric- and autonomous-vehicle programs.

"HBPO helps automakers significantly reduce costs, while simplifying their production systems," she pointed out. "Weight savings and reductions in warehouse space, assembly-line work stations and inventory investments also can be achieved."

She said the company's rapid growth in North America was based in part on the benefits achieved from outsourcing front-end assembly operations, including:

• Reductions in inventory investment from between $5 to $7 million or more.
• Savings of 3,000 to 4,000 square feet in plant floor space with the elimination of five or more assembly-line work stations.
• Reductions in warehouse space of up to 30,000 square feet or more.
• Elimination of up to 80 suppliers requiring direct supervision, including quality-control and logistics management.
• Weight savings of up to 25 percent or more through HBPO design-and-development input.

"We are the only automotive supplier solely dedicated to the design, development and manufacture of front-end modules," Mannino noted. "HBPO also is the world's largest supplier of front-end modules with annual production of more than 5.7 million units and sales of more than $2.3 billion in Europe, North America and the Asia Pacific region."

About HBPO GmbH:

HBPO GmbH, Lippstadt: HBPO is the only company in the world that specializes in the design, development, assembly and logistics for complex front-end modules.  A global market leader for front-end modules, the company reported 2017 sales of more than 2 billion euros.

HBPO's global customer portfolio of automotive brands includes Audi, Bentley, BMW, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Hyundai, Jeep, Kia, Mercedes, Mini, Nissan, Porsche, Proton, Renault, SEAT, Skoda, SsangYong and Volkswagen. Additional information is available online at www.hbpogroup.com.

SOURCE HBPO