Sealing maker Standard Profil opens 10th plant

GUANAJUATO, Mexico—Automotive sealing manufacturer Standard Profil S.A. has opened its 10th plant worldwide, representing a $36 million investment.

The facility, located in Guanajuato, will produce sealing for automotive original equipment manufacturers in the North American region.

Werner Gehring, vice president operations west, said in an email that the facility is Standard Profil's first in Mexico and will produce the full range of body sealing systems—its primary product line—for the Audi and Volkswagen brands. The firm also will look to negotiate with other North America-based customers for new business opportunities.

Gehring said the facility currently employs 130 but projects to reach 700 in the next two years.

“We always aim to be closer to our customers, and that's why we are here, very close to the automotive global original equipment manufacturers,” CEO Turhan Semizer said in a statement. “We want to continue our success in North America as well. We believe in our new plant and colleagues in Mexico who will bring us to the goals we set for our common future.”

Standard Profil said the plant is equipped with its best technologies and was built from ground zero in nine months. Gehring said the facility will utilize state-of-the-art finishing equipment and an EPDM extrusion line. It also will be equipped with an in-house tool shop, a fully equipped lab for a variety of testing and controls, and this year the firm will begin research and development activities.

Gehring said the company's current projection targets are to utilize available space fully until 2018. The firm estimates with its current business, it is at about half capacity. Gehring said with major negotiations in progress, Standard Profil projects to add enough business in the next six months to utilize the production space fully.

Once the current capacity is utilized, Gehring said the firm will consider expansion.

Standard Profil is a wholly owned subsidiary of Standard Profil Otomotive San ve Tic A.S., a worldwide sealing manufacturer with its headquarters in Istanbul. In addition to operations in Mexico, the firm operates three plants in Turkey along with facilities in Spain, Morocco, China, South Africa and Bulgaria.

Gehring said the company's delivery network reaches more than 30 countries and estimates the firm has about a 20 percent share of the European market.