Automotive: Adient Opens Plant in Morocco
Morocco’s thriving automotive industry continues to attract foreign investors and car parts markers looking for business and growth opportunities. Among these investors, Adient, the global leader in automotive seating, which has announced the opening of its first plant in the North African Kingdom.
The plant, based in Kenitra, will expand Adient’s fabrics business, which designs and manufactures high-quality materials for seating and interior applications.
“The automotive industry has been steadily growing in the region, and it’s projected to grow even more in the near future,” said Jef Vercammen, vice president Global Fabrics, Adient.
He said the plant’s strategic position will make it easier for the company to serve its customers both in Northern Africa and Southern Europe.
The Kenitra facility will employ local talent to serve customers such as Renault, PSA, Opel, BMW, Nissan and others. Production is planned to start at the end of the month.
The plant will focus on fabric lamination for automotive seating – a process of binding fabric layers together to create higher endurance, greater resilience, and a premium look and feel.
Adient is the global leader in automotive seating. With 85,000 employees operating 238 manufacturing/assembly plants in 34 countries worldwide, it produces and delivers automotive seating for all vehicle classes and all major OEMs.
From complete seating systems to individual components, the company’s expertise spans every step of the automotive seat making process.
In Morocco, the car industry has yielded results beyond all expectations and breaking all national export records. It has posted far better results in exports & revenues than phosphate and agriculture.
Experts say that the development of the automotive industry will help the Moroccan government create 90,000 jobs by 2020 in addition to the 100,000 that already exist.
French automaker Renault operates two vehicle assembly plants in Morocco, in Casablanca and in Tangier, where it already produced its millionth vehicle since opening the factory in 2012.
PSA Group will begin building cars near the Moroccan coastal city of Kenitra in 2019.
Morocco has succeeded in marketing itself as an attractive & highly competitive export base for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
The Moroccan government uses the combination of low inflation and low-cost labor, tax incentives, an improved transportation infrastructure as well as economic and political stability to attract automotive companies.
