On 23 October International Automotive Components (IAC) Group celebrated the dedication of a new vehicle interiors manufacturing facility in Bals, approximately 230km/144 miles west of Bucharest. Located in Romania’s emerging technology region in Olt province, the new site is a greenfield operation employing approximately 250 people. It is IAC’s 27th plant in Europe and brings the group’s global total to more than 90.
“This investment represents a key milestone for the company’s strategy of profitable growth in the European region,” said James Kamsickas, IAC Group President and Chief Executive Officer.
In June this year, the Bals IAC plant began production to supply Ford’s Craiova assembly plant in about 25km away. The IAC facility produces instrument panels, centre consoles, rear doors, front door panels and headliners for Ford’s new B-Max compact MPV.
Considering the location of the facility and the complexity of the products it manufactures, IAC says it embarked on a “very aggressive” vertical integration strategy in the 15,000sq-m plant. IAC has left available unused floor space capacity to support future manufacturing opportunities.
The Bals facility is IAC’s first to introduce ‘FastKast’, IAC’s proprietary A-surface material manufacturing process. FastKast incorporates thermoplastic polyolefin and polyvinyl chloride resins in conjunction with a proprietary advanced process development method, which the company says provides enhanced product quality, improved tactile feel and aesthetics on instrument panels and other interior trim components. In 2013, FastKast will be launched in multiple IAC facilities across the supplier’s global network.
