Italian auto components maker Magneti Marelli has opened a new automotive lighting plant in Pulaski city, Tennessee in the US.
The company has invested about $54m in the new production unit, which manufactures headlamps and rear lights with a production capacity of 2.5 million units per year that is expected to be increased to five million units by 2016.
The new plant occupies about 161,500sqft of space that will be expanded to over 213,000sqft in 2014 and is expected to support the company in addressing the growing demands in the NAFTA region.
Magneti Marelli CEO Eugenio Razelli said, "The expansion of our footprint in the NAFTA region further equips us to respond appropriately and adequately to these challenges in an area that is vital for the growth of Lighting and Magneti Marelli as a whole."
According to the company, the new plant has already secured orders from Chrysler Group, Mercedes and General Motors, while the first headlights will be manufactured for Chrysler's 2014 Jeep Cherokee, which has halogen, bi-Xenon and LED day time running Light headlamps.