Amsted Automotive in Southfield has formed a joint venture between its Means Industries metal forming and joining company and China’s VT Industrial Technology to serve the rapidly expanding Chinese market.
The joint venture company, which is named MVT, will be based in Wuxi, China, and is expected to go into production with a Chinese domestic OEM in 2023.
MVT combines Means’ metal forming and joining knowledge with VT Industrial Technology’s expertise in complex tooling manufacturing. It is Amsted Automotive’s third joint venture in the region adding to its existing Piston Pin Co. and Burgess Norton WH Auto-Parts Co.
Teams from both companies already have co-located and are working to launch new products with the Chinese OEM, in addition to working with other automakers to develop and deliver needed powertrain manufacturing services more immediately.
“Automotive manufacturing in China is significant and growing quickly both in volume and technology,” the companies said in a joint statement. “This joint venture will allow both companies to be at the forefront of advanced metal-forming processes, providing Chinese automakers with quality and precision which previously was not readily available.”
Amsted Automotive is the result of a merger between two of its century-old, core Tier 1 automotive supply business units, Means Industries and Burgess Norton. The combination offers a global presence with 16 facilities in North America, Asia, and Europe to serve global customers with a manufacturing footprint producing more than 100 million components and assemblies annually.
Means Industries is headquartered in Saginaw with manufacturing operations in Shelby Township, Sterling Heights, and an office in Southfield.
