Seating, leather and electrical systems supplier Lear has signed an investment agreement with the Administrative Commission of Yangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone to construct a premium leather processing plant in Yangzhou, China.
The new plant, occupying 32,000 square metres on 56,700 square metres of land, will support rapid sales growth and new business development in China. The plant will have approximately 300 employees in 2018 and expand to approximately 700 when running at its designed capacity while 28,000 square metres of adjacent land has been reserved for future expansion.
“As the most vertically integrated automotive seating supplier in the world, Lear is pleased to build upon its global capabilities and expand its significant presence in China to better serve our customers in the region,” said Ray Scott, the supplier’s head of seating.
“With 81 locations across Asia including 47 in China, Lear’s operations continue to grow due to the efforts of more than 20,000 employees. Over the past three years, [our] total sales in China have grown at an average annual rate of 17%,” added Jay Kunkel, the supplier’s Asia-Pacific region chief.