Ficosa, the Tier 1 global provider which manufactures and markets high-technology vision, safety, connectivity and efficiency systems for the automotive and mobility sectors, has expanded its footprint in the US with the setting of a state-of-the-art plant Cookeville, Tennessee.

With an investment of over US$ 50 million, the new plant is equipped with the sector’s latest technology, becoming the most advanced in Ficosa’s global portfolio. The Cookeville facility, which has a total surface area of 270,000 square feet, is dedicated to producing rearview systems for automotive manufacturers such as Nissan, Ford, Volkswagen, Fiat Chrysler and General Motors.

The rearview system (interior/side mirror) is Ficosa’s main business, known worldwide and recognized by top global OEMs. The new plant has an average production capacity of 4.5 million rearview mirrors and will add nearly 500 new and advanced manufacturing jobs in the U.S. and Tennessee. This cutting-edge production center, whose construction started in June 2015, was inaugurated on October 28.

In June 2016, Ficosa North America was awarded four contracts from two American OEMs to produce 8,900,000 units of rearview mirrors over a period of five years. Three of the four orders will be produced at the new Cookeville’s plant, with an estimated economic value of US$ 460 million. Production on those contracts is scheduled to start first quarter of 2018.

“Today marks a great day for Ficosa and Tennessee,” said Javier Pujol, CEO of Ficosa (pictured above), during the event. “This new facility is a strategic move that allows the consolidation of key operations and enables a further future growth in one of the largest automobile markets in the world, where Ficosa has been present since 1994. By opening these new premises we are not only improving the group’s efficiency and operational capacity in the region, but also reinforcing our commitment to bring more advanced manufacturing jobs to the U.S. and to help lay the foundation for a more successful manufacturing future in the state of Tennessee.”

The Cookeville facility also strengthens the company’s business alliance with Panasonic – which started in 2015 – in North America (United States and Mexico). “We are boosting a plan to align the industrial strategy of Ficosa with Panasonic in the region of North America, in order to accelerate the launch of new products in the areas of connectivity, efficiency and safety. This plan allows us to support the growth of the local market and increase our capacity in R&D in mirrors, shifters and new technologies that we are developing together with Panasonic, bringing together our technological capabilities with the know-how in electronics of the Japanese company.”