MOORESVILLE, N.C.—German hose manufacturer Tristone Flowtech Group officially opened a new production plant in Mooresville to improve its service to the automotive industry in the U.S. and Canada.
Tristone broke ground on the $23.6 million manufacturing unit last year and is preparing to start operations.
"The new Mooresville plant brings us much closer to our customers' automotive plants and brings benefits to the local community through local employment," said Guenter Froelich, Tristone Group president and CEO.
In addition to the 215,000-sq.-ft. facility, Tristone has 10 existing production plants in Mexico, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Italy, France, Spain, Turkey, India and China.
The U.S. facility will manufacture hoses and, in the future, plastic pipe and plastic surge tanks for engine and battery cooling applications.
The Frankfurt, Germany-based automotive supplier has been tracking growth and expects annual sales to rise 11 percent $359 million in 2019 and 24 percent in 2020 to close to $448 million. The projection, Tristone said, is based on booking orders in Europe, NAFTA, China and India.
The U.S. expansion is the latest move for growing Tristone, which opened a new production plant in Pune, India, last year to produce plastic surge tanks and engine cooling hoses for automotive customers in throughout the country.
In April 2017, the group moved its Mexican production facility to an expanded site in Delicias, State of Chihuahua. The company supplies parts to major original equipment manufacturers scuh as Ford, General Motors, FiatChrysler, VW and BMW in Mexico.
Tristone Flowtech is specialized in fluid applications in the areas of motor and battery cooling as well as air charge systems.