Southfield’s Auria, a global company producing vehicle acoustical and fiber-based products, Tuesday opened a new manufacturing facility in Vráble, Slovakia. The facility will produce automotive flooring systems and fiber-based decorative trim components for Jaguar Land Rover and other premium OEM customers.
“This new facility follows through on the commitment we have made to our customers to expand our footprint with state-of-art manufacturing,” says Brian Pour, president and CEO of Auria. “As vehicle manufacturing continues to grow in Eastern Europe, we see a great opportunity to support our customers from this world-class operation in Vráble.”
The facility, which Auria invested about $10 million in to date, is more than 92,000 square feet and houses manufacturing and administrative space. It will initially house more than 100 employees and increase to a workforce of 150 with the launch of new business expected over the next two years.
“Fibers represent the next frontier for technological advancement for vehicles and other consumer products,” says Yao Minghua, chairman of Shanghai Shenda. “Shenda companies like Auria are proud to be at the forefront of developing and delivering fiber-based solutions from world-class plants like Vráble that will meet the evolving needs of the transportation industry for decades to come.”
The location is close to OEM customer manufacturing facilities in Eastern Europe, and there is a highly skilled, educated workforce in the immediate area.
Auria recently broke ground on a new manufacturing facility in Wuhan, China, as well. Once complete, the 242,000-square-foot facility will produce automotive carpeting for Chevrolet and Buick models produced and sold in China. In January, Auria China took possession of the company’s new regional headquarters in Shanghai.
The company was formed in 2017 and has financial headquarters in England with operational headquarters in Southfield, China, and Germany. It has 27 manufacturing and 11 technical facilities in 12 countries. It employs nearly 7,000 people worldwide.
