Car interiors manufacturer Faurecia is to build a $60 million, 250,000 sq ft facility in Kansas City.
The company says the new factory will create 300 jobs.
Tim Cowden, president and CEO, Kansas City Area Development Council, says: “Kansas City offers a strong competitive advantage to growing manufacturing operations, particularly in the automotive industry.
“We are very proud to welcome Faurecia to our robust automotive cluster and look forward to the company’s success in our region.”
Faurecia will build a new facility on a 25-acre parcel adjacent to NE 20th street on the north side of Interstate 70 in Blue Springs.
The plant will manufacture and assemble door and instrument panels using the latest technologies.
The company chose the Kansas City region for its new location because of its proximity to its customers and a skilled workforce that is familiar with the manufacturing and automotive industry.
Donald Hampton, Jr, president of Faurecia Interiors in North America, says: “Faurecia is proud to open this new site and to provide new opportunities for local job seekers.
“The Kansas City metro and the Blue Springs area are known for being a source of excellence in American manufacturing and we’re looking forward to building on that expertise and skill set as we continue to provide the very best to our customers.”
A recent study by the Brookings Institute listed the KC region as the second most important automotive center in the US.
The region is home to large-scale automotive manufacturing operations for both General Motors and Ford, which have expanded to become the region’s largest manufacturing employers.
Chris Gutierrez, president, KC SmartPort, says: “Kansas City is an attractive location for manufacturers because of the region’s competitive transportation costs, reducing production expenses, as well as our skilled workforce and central US location.”
In North America, Faurecia had sales of $5.78 billion in 2016 and employed approximately 20,000 people at 47 locations in Canada, Mexico and the US.
