Swiss plant to add up to 150 jobs

$8M expansion of auto supplier in oregon

10/8/2011
BY LARRY P. VALLEQUETTE
BLADE BUSINESS WRITER
Rieter Automotive, a subsidiary of  Autoneum Management AG, is adding 106,500 square feet to the plant it leases from Cedar Point Development at 1150 North Wynn Rd. in Oregon. The company plans to expand its product line of automotive carpets and other insulating products for the domestic auto industry.
Rieter Automotive, a subsidiary of Autoneum Management AG, is adding 106,500 square feet to the plant it leases from Cedar Point Development at 1150 North Wynn Rd. in Oregon. The company plans to expand its product line of automotive carpets and other insulating products for the domestic auto industry.

A Swiss automotive supplier is expanding its facility in Oregon with plans to add up to 150 jobs to its existing work force of more than 300.

Rieter Automotive, a subsidiary of Autoneum Management AG, is adding 106,500 square feet to the plant it leases from Cedar Point Development at 1150 North Wynn Rd., where it will expand its product line of automotive carpets and other insulating products for the domestic auto industry, spokesman Peter Gradel said.

The $8 million expansion is part of a $20 million investment in the firm's product line and its Oregon facilities, which include an adjacent 150,000-square-foot building. City Administrator Michael Beazley said Oregon has granted Cedar Point Development, the building's owner, a 10-year, 100 percent abatement on the project, with an agreement that Oregon City Schools will be made whole by the company with an annual payment in lieu of taxes.

"We're very excited about this investment and the added jobs it brings," he said. "We think it shows great confidence in the city."

Rieter's Oregon plant supplies carpets and so-called NVH materials -- noise, vibration, and harshness dampening products that insulate the automotive cabin -- to Chrysler Group LLC, General Motors Co., and its largest customer, Ford Motor Co.

The expansion is expected to be completed in January. Hiring will be done through The Source, Lucas County's one-stop shop for employment services, the company said.

An Autoneum spokesman declined to identify the new product to be made in Oregon. However, Ed Harmon, managing member of Cedar Point Development, said the Oregon plant will be the single source for it in North America, and Autoneum chose the Oregon plant over alternative facilities in South Carolina and Tennessee to manufacture it.

He said the Oregon plant will supply automotive assembly plants in Mexico, Kentucky, Detroit, Toledo, and elsewhere.