“Future friendly” precision-engineering manufacturer NN Inc. is opening a new precision ball plant in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, to address increasing demand for auto manufacturing in Mexico.
Located in the Mexican state of Chihuahua and under construction since June, the plant is expected to begin production in November. The facility will be co-located with NN’s existing precision metal components plant in Juarez, and it will share management, supply chain and administrative services.
“I am pleased to announce NN’s expansion in Mexico, which is a growing market for automotive and industrial manufacturing,” NN President and CEO Rich Holder said. “This new plant will serve existing and new customers and represents incremental demand created with the expansion of the Mexican automotive market.”
With an expected production capacity of nearly 200 million tight-tolerance, high-precision steel balls within the year 2016, the company plans to expand in the future. Production will adjust through next year as production validation continues. The plant will operate under the IMMEX Program (formerly the Maquiladora Program).
“The rapid construction of this new plant was made possible by NN’s existing presence in Mexico and showcases our ability to leverage our assets across multiple platforms,” Holder stated. “The plant will implement the next generation NN operating system complete with advanced ‘in house developed’ manufacturing technology from the NN R&D centers in the U.S. and Italy.”
