SAN LUIS POTOSI, Mexico—Toyoda Gosei Co. Ltd. plans to expand its facility in Mexico with a $35.5 million investment in response to increased automotive demand in North America.
The firm said in an Aug. 25 news release that its subsidiary Toyoda Gosei Automotive Sealing Mexico S.A. de C.V. in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, will increase weatherstrip production by about 50 percent by 2020.
When done, Toyoda Gosei projects employment— reported at 910 as of March 31—to increase by 540 people. It also expects sales to grow to $124 million annually, up from $60 million, by 2020.
The plant currently produces opening trim weatherstrips, door weatherstrips and glass runs among other weatherstrips.
In addition to adding capacity, the firm has acquired land adjacent to the building to add about 20 percent—or 82,000 square feet—to its current footprint, bringing the building to 523,100 square feet by 2020. Toyoda Gosei said this addition will be used to add trial manufacture equipment to the facility, improving the pre-production processes. It will also provide additional team member training.
It's been an active time for Toyoda Gosei in Mexico, the firm recently opened a facility in Irapuato, Mexico. The facility represents a $53.2 million investment and will focus on the company's interior/exterior business such as radiator grilles, console boxes and plastic parts in addition to its functional components business.
The firm said production of plated products is scheduled to start in the summer of 2017. It projects $110 million in sales for fiscal 2020, and employs about 135. The building is nearly 400,000 square feet, and rests on a 1.65 million-sq.-ft. plot of land.
Toyoda Gosei operates two facilities in Matamoros City, Mexico—one for safety systems and the other for fuel components. Manufacturing for all four of the firm's product lines are localized in Mexico.
Headquartered in Kiysou, Japan, Toyoda Gosei produces rubber and plastic automotive parts with 100 plants and offices in 18 countries.