Leoni expands capacities in Mexico

Leoni, a leading European provider of cables and cable systems to the automotive sector and other industries, has further expanded its capacities in the Americas. The company has officially opened a new, environmentally friendly Mexican wiring systems plant in the city of Merida, which will serve customers in the U.S. and Asia.

“The new plant in Merida is a clear sign of our dynamic growth in the Americas,” said Martin Stüttem, Member of the Board of Directors of Leoni AG with responsibility for the Wiring Systems Division (WSD). “We are the first foreign investor to build up a production facility involving such a high number of industrial jobs in the Yucatan region.”

The now inaugurated plant in Merida is Leoni’s third site for wiring systems in Mexico. The company already operates locations in Hermosillo and Durango, which produce wiring harnesses for commercial vehicles and passenger cars. The production scope in Merida comprises harnesses for a series of passenger car models from a U.S. based customer and a manufacturer from Asia. Today, Leoni employs about 500 people in the new facility. In 2018, when the plant will run at full capacity, the company expects to staff up to 2,600. The new location has a total production area of approximately 25,000 m².

By the end of 2017, the plant will be equipped with more than 1,500 solar panels, which will provide approximately one-third of the total energy required. Moreover, the location in Merida uses a water recycling system, resulting in a daily reduction of needed fresh water of almost 100,000 liters. Currently, Leoni is going through the BREEAM certification process, one of the world’s leading sustainability assessment methods for master-planning projects, infrastructure and buildings.

During 2018, the Merida plant expects to contract not only a large number of production employees, but also industrial, logistics and quality engineers, technical specialists as well as administrative support personnel. Moreover, Leoni will establish a shared services center for the human resources department in Merida, which will support all the plants in the Americas.

The Merida plant is the fifth location in Mexico for the Leoni Group. Moreover, the company is present in other North and South American countries operating production facilities as well as offices for research & development and sales in the U.S., Canada, Brazil and Paraguay.

Leoni
www.leoni.com