Maxion Wheels opens new aluminium wheel plant in Brazil

Maxion Wheels, a division of Iochpe Maxion S. A., marked the opening of a new light vehicle aluminium wheel plant in Limeira, São Paulo, Brazil, this week with an inauguration celebration. The new plant, adjacent to the company's existing steel wheel plant, will add two million aluminium wheels per year in capacity and create an additional 500 new jobs by 2020.

According to Marcos Oliveira, Iochpe-Maxion's Chief Executive Officer, the new factory will meet the domestic Brazilian market's increasing demand for cars with aluminium wheels. "Brazilian consumers are following the global trend for more sophisticated and stylish vehicles, which includes a growing demand for aluminium wheels on most new car models," Oliveira said. "Besides this investment in Limeira, Maxion Wheels recently expanded the production capacity of its aluminium wheel plant located in Santo André, São Paulo, by 50 percent, also in response to the market's growing demand."

Don Polk, president of Maxion Wheels for the Americas, added that the company's ability to successfully launch the new plant is in large part due to the employees' dedicated performance. "Even in this moment of Brazil's severe economic crisis, Maxion Wheels continues to lead the wheel industry due to the commitment and effort put forth by our employees. We can always count on our people to deliver only the highest level of excellence in our products and services."

The new Maxion Wheels Limeira aluminium plant will open in two phases. In the first phase, production will reach 800,000 wheels per year. Phase two will complete the project, bringing production to two million wheels per year by 2020.