Good Day, Sunshine
Webasto Sunroofs to build production facility in Lexington

Buoyed by the continuing strong growth in the sunroof market, Webasto Sunroofs, Inc. will build a 95,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Lexington.

Webasto's existing administrative and sales offices, technical center and assembly and stamping operations remain at the company's headquarters in Rochester Hills, Michigan.

Construction on the new plant, which will be located in Blue Grass Business Park on Georgetown Road, is scheduled to begin immediately. Production start-up is slated for June.

The announcement was made by Fred Olson, vice president of Webasto Sunroofs, Inc., at a groundbreaking ceremonies for the plant.

"The growing preference of American car and truck buyers for power sunroofs has translated into a significant increase in business for Webasto. As consumers continue to want vehicles which reflect their lifestyles, we expect the increased demand to continue well into the next century," said Olson.

Olson said the new plant, which will initially employ 100 persons, will enable Webasto to nearly double its sunroof assembly capacity in north America.

"With the addition of the Lexington plant, we increase our capabilities to provide customers with quality products and strengthen our standing as the OEM and aftermarket leader in the rapidly expanding sunroof market," said Olson.

"We're excited and very optimistic about the future of the industry and the sunroof segment. This plant, which will improve geographical access to our customers, is an integral part of our continuing strategy to achieve customer satisfaction through quality, delivery, service, increased competitiveness and to provide more opportunities for our employees," said Olson.

The company, which posted $177 million (U.S.) in sales for its fiscal year ending December 31, 1996, is North America's largest supplier of sunroofs to the automobile manufacturers and aftermarket. A joint venture of Germany-based Webasto AG and Canada's Magna International (through its Atoma Closure & Electronic Systems Group), Webasto currently employs more than 700 people in the U.S.

Webasto AG, the world's largest supplier of sunroofs to the automotive industry, has operations in 10 countries providing sunroof systems, heating and cooling systems for commercial vehicles, and other components to all of the world's major automakers. Worldwide, Webasto AG employs 3800 persons and has sales in excess of $800 million.

Back to January Issue

Back to Industry Index

Copyright 1996-98, by Kentucky Business Online, LLC.  All rights reserved.

Editorial content is copyright 1998, Lane Communications Group
All editorial materials is fully protected and must not be reproduced in any manner without prior permission. 

Buzzword and the Buzzword balloon are registered trademarks of Buzzword, Inc.  The Lane Report is a trademark of Lane Communications Group.  All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.