Magna has inaugurated a new electronics manufacturing facility in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan. The facility consolidates three nearby locations into a single state-of-the-art facility.
By opening the 230,000-square-foot facility with an investment of nearly $50 million, Magna has consolidated its presence in Grand Blanc Township and is positioned to continue its leadership in vision-based driver assistance systems. The new facility allows Magna to accelerate large-scale deployment of future technologies such as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), advanced robotics and micro-LED lighting.
Serving many of the world’s automakers, Magna Electronics Holly ships ADAS components to more than 330 different locations in North and South America, Europe and Asia. The division started manufacturing automotive-grade cameras in 2005 and has steadily increased its annual output as driver assistance systems have grown through regulatory measures and consumer demand. At present Magna Electronics Holly has made more than 46 million ADAS components, a number that will continue to grow well into the future.
Magna now combines cameras with other sensors such as radar and LiDAR to develop the advanced driver assistance systems that make up the building blocks of autonomy. Thanks to Magna’s systems, drivers can activate adaptive cruise control to maintain a safe following distance and speed, use lane-keeping assist to center the vehicle, and check blind spots to monitor adjacent travel lanes.
“We provide features to improve the daily commute and add a layer of safety,” said Magna CTO Swamy Kotagiri. “With the excitement surrounding autonomous vehicles and their potential to eliminate car crashes, it can be easy to forget the path to full autonomy lies in the safety and driver assistance systems we have today.”
In addition to manufacturing ADAS components, the new facility is home Magna’s advanced robotics R&D testing lab. With continued advancements in AI the company is bringing more smart factory concepts into its operations, and this new lab allows the testing and implementation of robotics that are adaptable, flexible and work in collaboration with people.
The plant is also the home of Magna Rohinni Automotive, a joint venture formed in 2018 to bring ultra-thin, flexible micro-LED lighting solutions to market. Magna and Rohinni are pleased to announce that this joint venture, after less than one year, has a dedicated production line installed in the new facility and stands ready to support production for customers.