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Siemens Breaks Ground for Headquarters Expansion

14 July 1998

Siemens Breaks Ground for Auburn Hills Headquarters Expansion

    AUBURN HILLS, Mich., July 14 -- Siemens Automotive broke
ground today for the expansion of its Auburn Hills, Mich., facility in
response to strong North American business growth, and increasing vehicle
content of electrical and electronic systems.
    The event was attended by more than 350 employees and local dignitaries
who looked on as ground was broken by a new Ford EV Ranger with a l9th century
farming plow in tow.  The EV Ranger features a full complement of Siemens
electric drive and electronics technologies.
    Built in January, 1991, the 122,000 square foot facility serves as Siemens
Automotive's North American Sales and Engineering Center and headquarters.
    Since 1996, Siemens Automotive has added more than 100 full time employees
to its Auburn Hills staff, primarily in areas ranging from testing to design
and engineering.  The company presently employs nearly 325 full-time staff and
approximately 170 college students who have rotated through internships during
the past two years.  Siemens expects to add approximately 100 more employees
to its Auburn Hills operations before the year 2000.
    "We have simply outgrown this facility's capacity for both laboratory and
employee work space," explained George Perry, president and CEO of Siemens
Automotive Corporation.
    The 51,000 sq. ft. expansion, which is being built adjacent to the current
facility, will accommodate 40,000 sq. ft. of office space and 11,000
additional sq. ft. of lab and test space.
    "As the application of electronics has proliferated throughout the
automobile this decade," Perry explained, "the role of Siemens as a leading
supplier of advanced automotive electronics technologies has grown
substantially in the Americas, as well as in Europe and Asia."
    Fueling the growth of the automotive electronics market segment is the
industry's constant search for the best and most reliable solutions for
cleaner burning, more fuel-efficient engines, and enhanced occupant safety.
"Electronics will continue to be integral in helping car makers meet stringent
government requirements for safety, fuel economy and emissions," Perry said.
Siemens Automotive's growth from 1995 to 1997 marked a 50 percent increase in
sales worldwide, from $1.57 billion to $3 billion.  "North America has been,
and will continue to be, among our strongest and steadiest growth markets
looking well beyond 2000," Perry stated.
    The North American Sales and Engineering Center provides support for North
American customers -- including Asian and European car makers -- ranging from
applications engineering to sales and marketing functions.
    The Auburn Hills facility currently houses advanced, certified engine and
chassis dynamometer test cells, including an environmental chamber, designed
to carry out a wide range of engine and powertrain emissions duration testing.
The building also includes laboratories for the test and development of
electronic and micro-electronic components and systems.