Auburn Hills, MI—April 2, 2013—The City of Auburn Hills, a dynamic community committed to innovation and growth, is pleased to announce Faurecia, the world’s sixth largest automotive supplier with business groups in automotive seating, emissions control technologies, interior systems and automotive exteriors, will make its North American headquarters in Auburn Hills.
A longstanding corporate citizen of Michigan, Faurecia currently has five Oakland County locations, including three offices in Auburn Hills. Upon completion in the first quarter of 2014, two of the Auburn Hills offices and a technical center in Troy will relocate to the new headquarters building. The third Auburn Hills office of Faurecia at 2500 Executive Hills Drive will continue to house more than 300 employees.
The new Faurecia North American headquarters will be a 278,000 square foot, three-story building located on High Meadow Circle in the Oakland Technology Park, near the intersection of I-75 and University, and will ultimately house up to 700 employees. Oakland Technology Park was formed in 2010 following the purchase of 211 acres by Southeast Michigan-based developers General Development, L.L.C. and Premier Equities from the former Chrysler Corporation. General Development is serving as the developer and general contractor on the Faurecia project.
Other recent developments in the Oakland Technology Park include US Farathane’s World Headquarters, a high-tech 250,000 square foot plastic injection mold facility servicing numerous customer segments, including the automotive industry, and Henniges Automotive’s 55,000 square foot world headquarters/research and design center. Henniges is a leading supplier of sealing and anti-vibration systems to the global automotive industry.
Auburn Hills City Manager Pete Auger said continued development of the Oakland Technology Park reflects the City’s attraction to auto suppliers and other global businesses.
“Auburn Hills is thrilled to add Faurecia’s North American headquarters to our roster of leading national and international manufacturers headquartered here,” said Auger. “Companies like Faurecia, Henniges and USFarathane are terrific corporate citizens and bring tremendous value to Auburn Hills, solidifying our reputation as the premier global manufacturing address in the Midwest.”
Stacy Fields, Asset Manager of General Development, looks forward to completing another project in Auburn Hills.
“The City’s ability to process projects with speed and efficiency is outstanding and the renewed availability of the Oakland Technology Park has sparked an increase in build to suit activity, representing a new era of future development for Auburn Hills,” said Fields.
Faurecia North America President Michael Heneka expressed enthusiasm about expanding the Company’s footprint in Auburn Hills.
“As the auto industry has reinvented itself over the past few years, Faurecia has been a notable success story,” said Heneka. “We have grown substantially and now we are ready to extend our technical centers and headquarters operations to further support that growth. Our new location presents a distinctive opportunity to build from the ground up in a way that most suits our needs and to centralize our technical teams and administrative functions.
Faurecia has called Auburn Hills its home for 10 years, and we enjoy an excellent relationship with the city’s leadership team,” Heneka continued. “They have been a strong partner in the momentum we have generated, and we are pleased to be expanding our presence in the city.”
About Faurecia
Faurecia is the world’s sixth-largest automotive supplier with four key Business Groups: Automotive Seating, Emissions Control Technologies, Interior Systems and Automotive Exteriors. In 2012, the Group posted total sales of $22.5 billion. At December 31, 2012, Faurecia employed 94,000 people in 34 countries at 320 sites and 30 R&D centers. Faurecia is listed on the NYSE Euronext Paris stock exchange and trades in the U.S. over-the-counter (OTC) market.
Faurecia North America had sales of $6 billion in 2012. The Group has 37 production sites, six technical centers, two customer centers and a shared services center in the United States, Canada and Mexico and employs more than 20,000 people in the region. For more information, visit: www.faurecia.com.
About General Development Company
Southfield-based General Development Company has been in business since 1983 as a full service real estate developer. GDC offers construction management, general contracting, property management, distressed asset management, and design and build-to-suit development services for all industrial and commercial requirements. Learn more at www.gendev.com.
About Auburn Hills
Celebrating 30 years as a city in 2013, Auburn Hills is home to 21,000 residents and also serves as Michigan’s global business address, with 40 international corporations from 32 countries housed here, including Chrysler Group LLC and Borg Warner headquarters. Auburn Hills’ residents enjoy the amenities of city and suburban living with parks, a revitalized downtown district and a welcoming city complex with a library and community center. Additionally, the city has five colleges and universities, the award winning Palace of Auburn Hills entertainment complex and Great Lakes Crossing Outlets, one of the state’s largest destination shopping centers, providing a variety of cultural, social and educational opportunities to residents, workers and visitors. Learn more at www.auburnhills.org.
