Key vehicles generate K.C. supplier boom - Automotive News
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Supplier factories are multiplying rapidly in suburban Riverside, Mo. Riverside is a short drive from two major auto assembly plants: General Motors' factory in Fairfax, Kan. , and Ford Motor Co. 's operation in Claycomo, Mo. Suppliers are converging here because key vehicles are reinvigorating Kansas City's auto manufacturing. The new Ford Transit commercial van began production last year in Claycomo. The aluminum-bodied Ford F-150 pickup started production this year in Claycomo. The redesigned 2016 Chevrolet Malibu is to begin output in October in Fairfax, while the Malibu's sibling, the next-generation Buick LaCrosse, is due to crank up in the fall of 2016. Eleven suppliers -- some with contracts for both Ford and GM --... Yanfeng USA, floor consoles, instrument panels and door panels. Many suppliers received contracts for all vehicles produced in area factories and built plants here to be nearby. London, Ontario-based Martinrea's strategy to win the Malibu contract was based on sending engine cradle parts to Kansas City and assembling them here, rather than assembling the cradles hundreds of miles away from the Fairfax plant and shipping... Source: www.autonews.com
