Trelleborg to build AVS factory in China

TRELLEBORG, Sweden (May 13)—Trelleborg A.B. will invest an undisclosed amount to build a plant in Wuxi, China, by 2004 for anti-vibration components, replacing one it acquired in its 1999 purchase of BTR Automotive. The Chinese operation, Trelleborg Automotive Wuxi, generated nearly $21 million in sales last year, producing engine and drive-train mounts and other anti-vibration components for a number of automotive customers, including the Chinese assembly subsidiaries of Volkswagen A.G., General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Peugeot S.A. Trelleborg owns 55 percent of the venture, with Guolian, a Chinese government company, retaining the minority 45-percent stake. Trelleborg said the final size and configuration of the new location could change because it is evaluating whether other businesses might also be located at the site.