Nexteer Automotive, a leader in Intuitive Motion Control, broke ground on an Electric Power Steering (EPS) manufacturing plant in Liuzhou, China earlier this month. The multi-billion-dollar global steering and driveline business delivers electric and hydraulic power steering systems, steering columns, driveline systems as well as advanced driver assist systems (ADAS) and autonomous technologies for original equipment manufacturers.
“Nexteer’s new Liuzhou Plant will become another significant part of our global manufacturing network, bolstering our momentum in serving our Asia-Pacific customers,” said Li Jun, Vice President and Asia-Pacific COO of Nexteer Automotive. “With our new plant operation, Nexteer strives to be an industry leader in smart, green manufacturing by leveraging lean production and Industry 4.0 methods to continuously improve efficiency, product quality and customer value.”
Nexteer will begin construction by the end of 2017 and expects the new plant to be completed by October 2018. Nexteer’s plant will encompass nearly 128,000 square feet and will house about 500 employees. With this new facility, Nexteer plans to expand the company’s manufacturing capabilities, as well as meet growing demands of perfect-quality EPS products in China and the Asia-Pacific markets.
In 2017, Nexteer’s existing Liuzhou plant successfully launched and implemented Digital Trace™ Manufacturing (DTM) as part of the company’s global manufacturing operation system. DTM streamlines and connects thousands of data points throughout the manufacturing and product design lifecycle. Nexteer’s industry-leading system also uses tools such as digital dashboards, real-time Kanban system, operator-face-recognition system and pre-warning system based on connectivity. Consequently, Nexteer’s Liuzhou team achieved improvements in production safety, delivery, quality and management. Design, construction and operation of the new plant will follow the principals of energy-saving, environmental-friendly and intelligent systems, building upon experiences from the current manufacturing operation system to lead the industry toward an advanced manufacturing era.
Nexteer Automotive’s global workforce of over 13,000 serves more than 50 customers in every major region of the world. The company has 25 manufacturing plants, three regional engineering centers, and 13 customer service centers strategically located in North and South America, Europe and Asia. Nexteer Automotive’s customers include BMW, Fiat Chrysler, Ford, GM, PSA Groupe, Toyota, VW, as well as automakers in India and China. In November, the company held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new 323,000-square-foot Technical Center in China’s Suzhou Industrial Park.
