Mahle Powertrain plans to expand its North America powertrain operations with a new facility in Plymouth, Mich., expected to open in early November.
The new facility is part of Mahle’s $16 million North American expansion to create new jobs and accelerate advance engine-development programs, Mahle said.
“Our new Plymouth location will be one of the most technically advanced engine-development facilities in North America,” says Hugh Blaxill, managing director of Mahle Powertrain. “The new facility is designed to support a wide range of advanced engine-development activities, including Mahle’s Jet Ignition program.”
The 45,000-square-foot facility, located at 14900 Galleon Court, was recently acquired from Westport Fuel Systems and will be used to enhance the company’s current engine and vehicle testing capability. According to Mahle, the facility will have a four-wheel-drive chassis dynamometer, seven vehicle lifts, five powertrain test cells and a wiring-and-instrumentation laboratory. In further expansion efforts, Mahle will add additional powertrain test cells, upgrades to engine and vehicle test beds to meet regulatory requirements for certification, and additional equipment to support hybrid-electric vehicle testing.
Additionally the facility plans to hire up to 20 new powertrain engineering positions over the next few years to add to Mahle’s already 40-plus powertrain operation employees.
Blaxill notes that the new facility will also allow Mahle to provide additional customer support in advanced engine testing for gasoline, diesel, hybrid, propane and natural gas powertrains.
