Accuride Corp. announced it has completed its initial expansion of aluminum wheel production capacity in Mexico. The expansion, first announced in November 2010, involved the transfer of an existing machining line from the company’s plant in Erie, Pa., to its Accuride de Mexico facility in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, to support expanding customer requirements for aluminum wheels in the region.
The 226,000-square-foot facility located on about 22 acres on the north side of Monterrey was built in 1999 and employs about 400 people. “Accuride’s successful launch of new aluminum capacity at our Monterrey facility demonstrates our commitment to produce products our customers need, where they need them,” says Rick Dauch, Accuride president and chief executive officer.
Dauch says the expansion makes the company’s Monterrey facility its first plant capable of producing both steel and aluminum wheels. “In addition to serving Mexico’s growing aluminum wheel market, the new capacity in Monterrey positions us closer to our customers’ expanding footprint in Mexico and the Southeastern United States,” he says.