Nexteer Automotive announces it will break ground late next month on a production facility in Kenitra, Morocco.
The 194,000-sq.-ft. (18,000-sq.-m) facility, the supplier’s first in Africa, initially will be used for the production of single pinion-assist electric power steering systems and will be extended to manufacturing driveline products in the future.
The plant, Nexteer’s 25th globally, will come on line in 2019.
Nexteer representatives signed a memorandum of understanding with the Moroccan government to confirm its investment plans in July 2017. This was followed by the signing of the official agreement by King Mohammed VI as well as Moroccan government officials and Nexteer Automotive representatives on Dec. 11, 2017, in Casablanca, Morocco.
“Nexteer’s key differentiators include our global manufacturing footprint and our in-house capabilities in producing high-quality, safety-critical steering and driveline systems,” Herve Boyer, vice president and chief operating officer-Europe and South America Div. at Nexteer, says in a news release.
“By establishing a new facility in Morocco, we are strategically aligned with our global customers’ needs. This location will also allow us to expand our geographic operations’ reach in both Africa and Europe,” Boyer says.
Nexteer Automotive delivers electric and hydraulic power steering systems, steering columns, driveline systems, advanced driver-assistance systems and automated driving technologies for OEMs including BMW, Fiat Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, PSA Group, Toyota and Volkswagen, as well as automakers in India and China.
