Magneti Marelli Unit to Convert Michigan Plant to Lighting Production

Automotive Lighting LLC is investing $35 million to convert an exhaust component facility in Independence Township, Mich., to make LED headlamps to support recent sales growth in the U.S.

The Michigan plant is expected to add more than 350 jobs over the next five years. The investment, which is supplemented by a $2 million grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corp.’s Strategic Fund and local tax abatements, will be used to retrofit the plant with new equipment and expand its parking lot to accommodate three-shift production.

Automotive Lighting says it selected the Michigan site over expanding an existing plant in Tennessee or one of its two facilities in Mexico. The company, which operates a research and development center in Michigan, claims the grant was needed to offset higher upfront capital expenses and employee wages than it would have incurred by expanding one of the other sites.

Opened in 2014, the 100,000-sq-ft Independence Township plant currently is operated by parent Magneti Marelli SpA, which will transfer production of exhaust manifolds and catalytic converter systems to an existing facility in Mexico. Magneti Marelli is the parts-making arm of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV.