Nexteer Automotive Opens New Plant and Technical Center in Poland

The Company Will Hire 100 Engineers Through 2017

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Apr 13, 2016, 07:30 ET

TYCHY, Poland, April 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Nexteer Automotive, a global leader in intuitive motion control, announces the opening of its third manufacturing plant in Europe on April 13^th and the upcoming opening of its first Technical Center in Tychy, Poland in mid-2016. The overall investment will exceed over 16 million USD and the company is planning to significantly enlarge this figure in the upcoming years.

The new plant will allow the company to expand Nexteer's manufacturing capabilities of Electric Power Steering (EPS) systems for Europe's current customers, including BMW, General Motors, FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) and PSA Peugeot Citroen. In addition to current investment in the new manufacturing building, the company will also expand investments in high technology equipment and tools in the upcoming years; enhancing Nexteer's premium EPS systems for European and global customers.

Nexteer's Poland Technical Center will be responsible for design and development of new steering system solutions and house an integrated team with capabilities including design, modeling, software, prototyping, vehicle testing and validation. The Technical Center investment reflects campus improvements including an engineering garage, test track, laboratory, prototype centre and validation centre. These resources will enable the Nexteer team to develop, assess, evaluate, and improve steering system characteristics and vehicle steering performance. Additional investment in coming years is also part of the Company's plan to keep the Technical Center at the cutting-edge of technology.

In addition to facility investment, Nexteer plans to invest in people by hiring over 100 engineers in the upcoming year. The team located at the new Technical Center will engineer current and future EPS programs, and will support the development of advanced driver assist systems (ADAS) and autonomous technologies for some of the largest, global automotive OEMs, such as BMW, FCA, Ford, GM and PSA Peugeot Citroen.

The Technical Center's team will not only work with peers and customers within Europe, but also with peers and customers located around the world. This team will closely collaborate with colleagues at Nexteer's Corporate Technical Centre in Saginaw, Michigan (U.S.), as well as those located at other Nexteer facilities around the world.

Nexteer has already started to recruit for these technical positions at the new center. The company is searching for CAD / CAE designers, mechanical engineers, motors and sensors engineers, electronics embedded systems designers and software designers.

"Engineers working at our Technical Center will have a unique opportunity to design and develop technology for some of the most advanced steering systems – impacting the safety and comfort of millions of drivers around the world. You can say that R&D specialists are – not only in the automotive business – the best engineers who create innovative solutions to the toughest challenges. We are happy that it will be here, in Poland, where we will have the pleasure to develop experts shaping mobility of the future," Ryszard Iskra, Nexteer Automotive Poland Technical Director.

"Tychy, Poland is a perfect environment for our Technical Center for many reasons, such as close proximity to one of our plants, the great pool of talent with experienced engineers and technical universities, plus the special economy zones and collaborative local authorities who share common sustainable growth goals with Nexteer," said Laurent Bresson, President and COO of Nexteer Automotive.

Currently Nexteer Automotive plants in Poland produce about 1.5 million steering systems annually for OEMs' models such as BMW i3 (BMW's first fully electric vehicle), BMW 1 series, BMW 2 series Active Tourer, Mini Cooper, Alfa Romeo MiTo, Fiat 500, Opel Adam, Corsa and Insignia, Citroen C3 and DS3. At the turn of Q1/Q2 2016, Nexteer will also open its third European production plant, located near the existing facility that opened in 1997. Since 2010 Nexteer has invested over 80 million USD in its facilities in Poland.

ABOUT NEXTEER

Nexteer Automotive – A Leader in Intuitive Motion Control – is a multi-billion dollar global steering and driveline business delivering advanced driver assist systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving technologies, electric and hydraulic steering systems, steering columns and driveline products for original equipment manufacturers. The company's global workforce of 12,000 serves more than 50 customers in every major region of the world. The company has 21 manufacturing plants, five regional engineering centers and ten customer service centers strategically located in North and South America, Europe and Asia. Nexteer Automotive's customers include BMW, Fiat Chrysler, Ford, GM, PSA Peugeot Citroen, Toyota, and VW, as well as automakers in India and China. www.nexteer.com

SOURCE Nexteer Automotive