Lear has broken ground on a new seat manufacturing facility on the former site of the Buick City complex in Flint, Michigan.
Ray Scott, executive vice president of Lear and president of Lear’s seating business, was joined by Flint Mayor, Karen Weaver and Tom McMillen, executive director, Interiors and Safety, Global Purchasing and Supply Chain at General Motors.
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Lear’s Flint seating plant will be the first major automotive supplier manufacturing facility constructed in Flint in more than 30 years. Plans call for the 156,000-sq ft facility to start production of seats by April 2018.
The facility will employ around 600 workers, when it reaches full production, while 30% of the 33-plus acre site will be green space.
Lear chose the Buick City site for a number of reasons including its proximity to the homes of many of its workers and the location of the GM plant.
The Flint area has been hard hit in recent years and Lear maintains it wants to bring manufacturing back to the region since many posts have been lost during the past several decades.
Lear worked with GM and the City of Flint while deciding the location for the new manufacturing facility.
The Michigan Strategic Fund board approved a US$4.35m Michigan Business Development Programme performance-based grant to support Lear’s $29.3m capital investment at the site, which includes the subassembly and final assembly of automotive seats.
“We have a long relationship with Lear during its 100 years of business,” said McMillen. “Lear has earned GM’s coveted Supplier of the Year designation 16 times and our partnership continues as we both commit to this next phase for Flint.
“Our next-generation vehicles to be produced in Flint are our newest step in almost US$3bn we have invested in Flint since 2009.”
