Westcast Industries Inc., a subsidiary of the Chinese Bohong Group, is looking to invest up to $12 million in the Detroit, Michigan area, creating as many as 100 jobs. Westcast is a supplier of engine components, especially exhaust manifolds, for GM, Ford, Volvo, and others.
Westcast Industries intends to build a CNC machining operation in a vacant former GKN Automotive facility in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The firm will transfer Ford and Volvo programs there from one of its other facilities in Sterling Heights, Michigan, while also taking on more work for GM.
Automotive News reports that Westcast’s future Auburn Hills facility will produce manifolds for Ford’s 3.3L V6, the former standard engine in the F-150 until its 2024 refresh, and manifolds for Volvo semi-truck engines. It’s unclear at this time what components would be built for GM engines.
If the approval process goes smoothly, construction on the facility could begin as soon as the first quarter of next year, and operations could be underway by the end of 2025. As for employment, it’s estimated that about 25 engineers, designers, and machinists could be working there by the second quarter of 2025, ramping up to around 100 by 2027.
“The timeline is designed to ensure a smooth transition from our existing operations in Sterling Heights and to minimize any disruption to ongoing customer programs,” the company said in its proposal, according to Automotive News.
Westcast Industries has been recognized as a GM Supplier of the Year several times, especially through the 1990s and a couple of times in the 2000s. It was founded in Wingham, Ontario, Canada, in the 1950s as a family-owned iron foundry and was acquired by Bohong Group in 2013 at an estimated value of $195 million CAD. This was a major acquisition for the Bohong Group, which largely operates inside of China, giving the conglomerate a foothold in the North American auto industry.
Comments
This is a direct result of Trump’s America First tariff policy proposals. Results in domestic investments and American jobs.
Yeah, owned by the Chinese. They will just come over here to build and buy and own America.
Watch ’em.
Should be no communist Chinese investment in US based manufacturing plants. And for such a paltry investment on their part, it ain’t worth it.
Totally Agree!!!
Drill baby drill
you know i have learned some changes are good ; but what i am learning is how adapt and how to live with change and being able to know the difference between adapting and living .
Forgive me for not being able to follow along. Are these new jobs , or are they jobs just being moved to another place in Michigan ? Second question is 25% of the work force are going to be engineers ? Last question is this is a machining operation only. Cast somewhere else.
Thanks !