The supplier announced today that it had opened the doors of its new plant in Rabat. The 14,340 square-meter facility will be the workplace for an initial batch of 130 employees (that number will grow to 230 people by the end of 2011.
The facility will be in charge with manufacturing electronics (for example, battery chargers and gateway modules) for several major automakers, including BMW, Renault and Volkswagen. Aside for the unspoken financial advantages, says Lear, Rabat was chosen as the site for the new plant because of the proximity to the aforementioned manufacturers, which allows for ease of shipment.
"Lear is proud to open another world-class electronics plant to support our growing Electrical Power Management Systems business segment," said Bob Rossiter, Lear chief executive officer and president.
"With the increasing market need, we are focusing on expanding our core electrical power distribution and power management capabilities."
Separately, as do several other big businesses, Lear braces itself for the hit the rising cost of shipping components from Japan will cause. According to Rossiter, the higher freight costs, caused by the earthquake that hit Japan on March 11 and wreaked havoc in the automotive supply industry, might take their toll on the second-quarter earnings of the company.
"We are working with our suppliers and our customers to offset these costs," Rossiter added.
