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Flex-N-Gate to invest $52 million, create 245 jobs in Troy

Flex-N-Gate Group plans to invest $52 million and add 245 new jobs in Troy, where it is building out a new 205,000-square-foot plant.

The Illinois-based tier one auto supplier will produce sequenced plastic fascias and welded underbody rear rails in the former AxleTech plant at 1400 Rochester Road, according to a Thursday news release from the state.

The company is hiring for the plant, and jobs are anticipated to be filled by July 31, 2022, said Otie McKinley, spokesman for the Michigan Economic Development Corp. The jobs pay an average of $881 per week plus benefits, according to an MEDC memo.

The state is supporting the project with a $1 million Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant. Additionally, the city of Troy is extending a previously approved tax abatement for the project, valued at $154,812.

“The expansion of Flex-N-Gate Troy means an additional 245 new jobs in Southeast Michigan and continues our leadership in advanced automotive manufacturing and mobility,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in the release.

The new plant is the result of the supplier winning a five-year contract with Stellantis for a new product line, said Mellissa Kendall, director of energy management for Flex-N-Gate. The company’s clients have included other major automakers Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Co.

“We are thrilled to once again be expanding Flex-N-Gate’s footprint in Michigan with our new manufacturing operation located in Troy,” Bill Beistline, executive vice president of metals and procurement for Flex-N-Gate, said in the release. “Flex-N-Gate truly appreciates the support that the city and state have shown regarding this project.”

Flex-N-Gate employs more than 20,000 across nine countries, including 6,000 employees at 17 sites in Michigan. It broke ground in 2017 on a $95 million, 600,000-square-foot plant in Detroit.

The supplier had considered choosing Windsor over Troy for its new plant, but border crossing challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Michigan’s grant incentive, secured its investment in metro Detroit, according to the MEDC.

Posted By: Crain’s Detroit Business on June 17, 2021.  For more information, please click here to read the source article.

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