Lear Corp., the Southfield-based supplier of automotive seating and electrical distribution systems, on Wednesday opened its new Asia headquarters in the Yangpu District of Shanghai, China.
“The Asia-Pacific region is Lear’s fastest growing market in the world and the expansion of our administrative and technical capabilities in Shanghai will support continued growth in this region,” said Matt Simoncini, Lear’s president and CEO. “China, which is our largest market in Asia, is now the largest automotive producing region in the world. Over the past three years, Lear’s sales in China have grown at an average annual rate of 24 percent.”
The headquarters accommodates 600 workers who support approximately 21,000 employees in 11 Asian countries, including almost 11,000 in China. The facility also includes a new regional product and technology center, which includes components for electrical and hybrid vehicles.
“We offer a full range of industry-leading seating and electrical distribution systems and related components,” said Jay Kunkel, Lear’s president of Asia-Pacific Operations. “We are pleased to open our new regional headquarters with expanded overall capabilities to better serve our existing customers and to support new customers as we continue to develop new products for Asia as well as globally.”
Lear manufactures products in Asia at 60 locations with support from engineering teams at 10 locations throughout the region. In 2013, Lear’s consolidated sales in Asia grew by 16 percent to $2.9 billion.
