Automotive

Magna Steyr to create 200 new engineering and design jobs

By Newsroom

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April 21, 2011

Magna Steyr plans to spend $765,000 on an expansion of its engineering office in Troy, an investment that's expected to create 200 jobs over the next three years."The bulk of them will be over this year," says Tracy Fuerst, director of corporate communications & media relations for Magna International, Magna Steyr's parent company. "We need to bring people on as soon as possible for this project."The automotive supplier, based near Toronto, currently employs 72 people in Troy. This project will more than triple that employee base in the first year, with 158 new hires. These new jobs will focus on engineering and design of technologically advanced automotive systems, assemblies, modules and components for original equipment manufacturers of cars and light trucks.Making this deal possible is a three-year tax abatement of $1.5 million from the Michigan Economic Development Corp. The city of Troy is also including a $14,000 tax abatement. Magna International had considered competing sites in Ontario, Ohio, and Indiana.Sources: Tracy Fuerst, director of corporate communications & media relations for Magna International; Michigan Economic Development Corp. Writer: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Latest in Automotive

Garmin to open office in Novi

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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April 14, 2011

Garmin, the name most associated with auto navigation technology, has decided to take up residence in the Detroit area. Hmmm. It wouldn't have anything to do with the Big Three's recent claim on one-third of the U.S. auto market? Nah. Probably just a coincidence. Excerpt: "This new office will expand our presence in the Detroit area and provide our present and future (automotive original equipment manufacturers) customers with immediate, on-the-ground service," Garmin President and COO Cliff Pemble said in a Monday release. The new office "at the hub of the automotive industry will only improve our ability to serve our global customers," he said. Read the rest of the story here.

Metro Detroit challenges Silicon Valley for engineering talent

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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March 31, 2011

As the auto industry recovers and gains its footing top tier engineering jobs have become the coin of the realm. Aggressively courting talent, companies like GM and Ford are starting to take on Silicon Valley as the place to find work.Excerpt:"Expertise in cloud computing, mobile software applications and energy management are in demand in the Motor City as automakers replace car stereos with Internet radio and gasoline engines with motors powered by lithium-ion batteries. Technology job postings in the Detroit area doubled last year, making it the fastest-expanding region in the country, according to Dice Holdings Inc. (DHX), a job-listing website."There's a war for talent out there, and it's only going to get worse," said Jim Bazner, vice president of human capital solutions at MSX International in Southfield, Michigan, which helps automakers find specialized employees. "There are hundreds of jobs, and all the automakers are hiring." "Read the rest of the story here.

DTE and Ford Motor Co. install Michigan’s largest solar power generator

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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March 24, 2011

Ford and DTE Energy have teamed up to build the primary part of Michigan's largest solar power generation system for DTE's power grid. The uses for the 500-kilowatt solar photovoltaic panel installed at Ford's Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne are two-fold.For one, power from the new system will go into production of Ford's new Focus, Focus electric vehicle and other new-generation hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles.And, the solar power generated from the panel will feed into a 750-watt kilowatt energy storage facility that can store 2 million watt-hours of energy using batteries, an amount that can provide power to about 100 Michigan homes a year.While the panel will eventually save the automaker in energy costs, there are other benefits, says Scott Simons, DTE Energy spokesman."It benefits all of our customers and it makes us less reliant on bringing in energy from other sources," he says. "It's also good for the environment because we're turning to an alternative energy source. Instead or relying on fossil fuels, we are using renewable energy."The project is a collaboration between Ford, DTE Energy, Xtreme Power of Austin Texas, the city of Wayne, and the state of Michigan. The project was funded by $3 million from DTE Energy's SolarCurrents program, which, in part, calls for the installation of photovoltaic systems on customer rooftops or property over the next five years in order to generate 15 megawatts of electricity throughout southeast Michigan.Another $2 million came from a grant from the Michigan Public Service Commission in support of its smart-grid program. About $800,000 worth of in-kind contributions were provided by Ford, which will install 10 electric vehicle charging stations at Michigan Assembly. The stations will recharge the electric switcher trucks that transport vehicle parts at the site. Part of the project seeks to show that electric vehicle batteries can be reused for stationary power storage after they are no longer useful in vehicles.The project serves as a pilot for solar systems at other Ford facilities, but this is not Ford's first foray into alternative energy."The Michigan Assembly Plant solar array builds on Ford's other renewable energy initiatives including geothermal energy in Ohio and wind energy in the U.K. and Belgium," Donna Inch, chairman and CEO of Ford Land, says in a statement. "This is one more step in our journey toward sustainability."Sources: Scott Simons, DTE Energy; Donna Inch, chairman and CEO of Ford Land Writer: Kim North Shine

Gates Corporation celebrates 100 years of mechanical innovation

By Gary Bartle

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Economic Development

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March 21, 2011

100 years. A century. It's a long time, any which way you describe it. The Gates Corporation, formerly The Gates Rubber Company, celebrates its centennial anniversary this year. The company makes belts, hoses and hydraulics that can used in a vast array of products; ranging from keeping engines running to transferring fluids like fine wine. And it's the the only non-tire producing rubber company that has a presence in all of the world’s major markets.

Ford’s high-tech, ‘flexible’ production line spotlighted

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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March 3, 2011

The post auto industry bail-out narrative seems to be one of innovation and resurgence. USA Today takes a look at the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne and how it represents the industry's way forward. Excerpt: "The system is impressive in operation. At the step where the sides of a Focus are created, workers take panels from a rack and position them with other metal parts on a machine. Then robots take over, gripping and spot welding the body parts together electrically to create one side in an operation that creates almost no sparks, which would leave unwanted metal dust in the air. It could be a sedan or hatchback. Doesn't matter. The robots can tell them apart. In the past, such assembly required specific machines built to repeat the same task. The tools had to be laboriously and expensively changed to build a new model. Now, most of the time, loading new software does the trick of telling the flexible robots how to do a new task. "Instead of buying new tooling, we just program" the robot to recognize parts and weld them, says Jim Tetreault, Ford's vice president of North American manufacturing. Other areas of the plant show similar flexibility. Vehicles on the line ride on "skillets," for example, that automatically raise and lower to the ideal height at each station for the task and model." Read the rest of the story here.

Stage 3 Productions diversifies workload to spur growth

By Newsroom

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Arts and Culture

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February 24, 2011

Before the Great Recession hit, Stage 3 Productions relied almost exclusively on the automotive industry. Now that the downturn is starting to let up, the Warren-based studio has survived and grown, thanks to a newly diversified client base.Stage 3 Productions relied on automotive photography and other media for at least 80 percent of its work just a few years ago. Today automotive accounts for 50 percent of its business. The rest is a mishmash of computer generated imagery, photography touchups, studio rentals for events, the defense industry, and even music videos."The automotive work has turned around in the last 2-3 months," says Art Bonus, business manager for Stage 3 Productions. "We're shooting some projects right now that we hope will turn into long-term things."The 25-year-old company employs nine people, an intern, and draws upon a stable of about 20 independent contractors for some of its projects. Those include a recent video for a duet song between local rapper Sean Forbes and Academy Award winner and Dancing With The Stars contestant Marlee Matlin. Both entertainers are deaf and are behind the song "Lets Mambo." It is also doing some defense work through TACOM.Bonus expects this new variety of work, along with the rebound of the auto industry, to boost his business significantly this year. The studio hopes to add to its staff in 2011 and is even considering the possibility of expanding its space in Warren.Source: Art Bonus, business manager for Stage 3 ProductionsWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Featured Video: Paper Street Motors

By Tom Hendrickson

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Economic Development

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February 23, 2011

Government-funded business incubators can't be all things to all people. Sometimes you have to roll up your sleeves and fill the niche no one wants to scratch. Meet Andy Didorosi, who wants to turn Ferndale's Paper Street Motors building into a creative hive for small businesses.

DornerWorks opens engineering office in Novi, plans for 10-15 hires

By Newsroom

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Arts and Culture

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February 17, 2011

DornerWorks is moving east and setting up a Metro Detroit office this year.The Grand Rapids-based engineering firm is in the process of opening up an office in Novi that will serve its clients in the tri-county, Flint and Ann Arbor areas. Five employees will seed the Metro Detroit office, which is expected to hold 15-20 people by the end of the year."Our business on the east side of the state has been growing dramatically in the last 9-12 months," says Jason Lovell, vice president of sales & marketing for DornerWorks. "To better service our customers on the east side we want to be closer to them. And we want to attract some new customers."DornerWorks specializes mainly in aerospace engineering services. However, the Novi location will primarily handle engineering work in the automotive, medical and industrial sectors. Source: Jason Lovell, vice president of sales & marketing for DornerWorksWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Enginer grows to 15 people in first two years of hybrid vehicle retrofit business

By Newsroom

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Arts and Culture

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February 17, 2011

When oil prices started to spike a few years ago and $4-a-gallon gas was seen as a big problem, Jack Chen came up with a solution.That solution turned into Enginer, a Troy-based start-up developing technology that improves the fuel efficiency of hybrid vehicles. The company went from just Chen, a former automotive engineering consultant, to 15 people today. It shipped 200-300 of its retrofit units last year and is aiming to break the 1,000 barrier in 2011."We'd like to be a leader in the automotive conversion market," Chen says. "We're second to A123 Systems right now."Chen and a small group of colleagues first developed the technology at the X PRIZE competition a few years ago. Now their automotive retrofits make hybrid vehicles like the Toyota Prius 40 percent more fuel efficient. The company sells these conversion kits for $3,500 apiece, which compares quite favorably to competing products that often demand five figures."A lot of people can afford our product," Chen says.Source: Jack Chen, president & chief engineer of EnginerWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.