Brembo to Invest $100M in Construction, Operation of New Foundry

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Brembo North America — a Plymouth-based automotive supplier whose brake systems have supported F1, IndyCar, and NASCAR teams — plans to invest $100 million in a new cast-iron foundry near Albion in Calhoun County.

Construction on the 300,000-square-foot facility, expected to create up to 250 jobs and open in 2017, will begin next year near the company’s Homer facilities, allowing Brembo to bring together all phases of production to achieve better efficiency, says Alberto Bombassei, chairman of Brembo S.p.A.

“The increasing number of global platforms being built by vehicle manufacturers prompts us to seek the best possible integration between the different stages of the value chain, replicating the integrated production model that we have adopted for some time now in our facilities in Italy, and recently in Poland and China,” Bombassei says.

Bombassei describes the United States as “one of the most important automotive markets in the world,” with North America slated to become Brembo’s top geographic market by the end of this year.

Construction of the foundry will result in a projected annual output of 80,000 tons of brake disc castings. 

Brembo’s investment will be supported by a $2 million Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant. The company will also receive $1.5 million in Community Development Block Grant funds for job training.