Two New-to-Michigan Companies Head to Auburn Hills for Expansion
The city of Auburn Hills Monday announced a variety of recent developments in the city's business community, including a new wind turbine component supplier, that will translate into some 500 new jobs.
Dokka Fasteners Inc., a manufacturer of hot-formed bolts with a specialized coating that ensure the integrity of the fastener once it is installed, is moving to Auburn Hills. Dokka is the only company in Michigan manufacturing this type of specialized bolt. Its primary customers are wind turbine manufacturers across the United States
Dokka's parent company is the Wurth Group of North America, which is part of the German-based Wurth Group. The Wurth Group had 2009 global sales of more than 7.5 billion Euros and is comprised of 400 companies and more than 57,000 employees in 84 countries. Dokka Fasteners is the first Wurth company to be located in Michigan, and the first Dokka company located in the U.S. The Company plans to be operational by the beginning of the second quarter 2011 with more than 90 employees.
Weber Automotive, which develops, manufactures and assembles complete powertrains and vehicle body structures for cars, trucks and recreational powersports vehicles, will be moving to Auburn Hills in the first quarter of 2011. Auburn Hills was chosen over South Carolina, where Weber also has a manufacturing presence. The Company is expected to hire 119 employees in the first two years and a total of 262 employees over the next five years.
Montaplast North America, a Kentucky-based manufacturer of technical systems for the international automotive industry, is planning a move from its Southfield office into Auburn Hills by April 1, with a projected 25 jobs to follow over the next five years.
USFarathane, a developer and manufacturer of highly engineered plastic products and materials that broke ground on a new Auburn Hills headquarters in the spring of 2010, now has three lines of production operational. The company began moving employees from its former Sterling Heights headquarters to the Auburn Hills location in Oakland Technology Park on December 15. A total of 600 employees are expected to be housed at the Auburn Hills facility by the end of 2011 and 250 of those employees will be in new jobs.
In November 2010, Auburn Hills launched its business attraction and retention marketing campaign, The Auburn Hills Advantage. City Manager Pete Auger says the recent flurry of business activity further supports the City's reputation for being business friendly.
Auger also extended the city's congratulations to Chrysler Group, following the recent announcement that the company will hire an additional 1,000 engineers.
"One thousand engineering jobs is great news for Chrysler, the state of Michigan and the city of Auburn Hills," Auger said. "We are especially gratified to hear that the majority of the new engineering jobs will be based at Chrysler's Auburn Hills' headquarters."
To receive the first in a series of marketing brochures for The Auburn Hills Advantage, contact Laurie Johnson, economic development coordinator, at (248) 364-6947 or ljohnson@auburnhills.org.
