Constellium N.V. announced today that it intends to open a new manufacturing facility in Mexico to produce aluminium automotive structural components. This plant, located in San Luis Potosí, will allow Constellium to respond to increasing demand for lightweight, high-strength aluminium Crash Management Systems and automotive structures for the expanding auto industry in Mexico. The automotive industry expects that nearly five million vehicles will be produced annually in Mexico by 2019, making it one of the largest markets for automobile production.

Constellium plans to invest approximately $10 million in the 5,000 sq m facility, which may be expanded to 13,000 sq m in the future to adapt to customers’ supply needs. The company expects to initially employ approximately 100 people in San Luis Potosí, which is centrally located to support current and new customers across Mexico. The facility is expected to start production in 2018.

The San Luis Potosí plant will complement Constellium’s growing footprint in North America for the fast expanding market of automotive structures. Last year, Constellium announced it would build a new manufacturing facility for automotive structures in Bartow County, GA, which is expected to start production in 2017. Constellium doubled manufacturing capacity at its facility in Van Buren, MI, in 2015 and has enhanced advanced prototyping and development capabilities to better serve automotive customers in North America.

“The San Luis Potosí plant is an important step in our development in North America and will allow Constellium to expand its business into one of the most significant automotive markets in the world,” said Eric Krepps, Constellium’s General Manager of Automotive Structures for North America. “By bringing our advanced manufacturing processes to Mexico to be near our customers’ assembly plants, we have a new opportunity to support automakers in their mission to make vehicles lighter, thereby improving fuel economy and lowering emissions.”

“I would like to thank the Governor of the State of San Luis Potosí, Juan Manuel Carreras López, as well as the government of San Luis Potosí, for the warm welcome they have extended to us,” added Krepps. “We look forward to becoming part of your community.”