NYX Adds Manufacturing Plant in Detroit's Renaissance Zone
26 May 1999
NYX Adds Manufacturing Plant in Detroit's Renaissance Zone
DETROIT, May 25 -- NYX, a Livonia-based, leading automotive
supplier, will open a plant in Detroit's Renaissance Zone.
The 48,000-sq. ft. plant, located on Lyndon between Livernois and Wyoming,
will begin production with a single shift of ten employees, but the company
expects to increase the staff to 40 to 50 people in the near future.
Mike Brooks, director of sales and marketing said the site is an ideal
location for the company. "We were looking for a win/win situation," Brooks
said. "We needed to purchase a location that would allow us to successfully
serve our customers and allow us to fulfill our responsibilities as corporate
members of the community.
"We are not just opening up in the Renaissance Zone. We are offering
opportunities for employment, promotion and training for the residents of
Detroit."
The new plant will produce injection molded plastic parts. Employment
opportunities will include maintenance, quality control and set up. Jim
Gutteridge, operations manager for the plant, plans to hire from the
surrounding area.
Plant production will include seating components and interior garnish
trim, and the primary customer will be Lear Corporation, a Southfield-based,
Tier 1 supplier.
Chain Sandhu, owner of NYX expressed gratitude that Lear has extended this
opportunity for his company and for the residents of Detroit.
"We could not have made this effort without the commitment of Lear
Corporation," he said. "Mr. Ken Way's commitment to growth opportunities for
minorities is unparalleled. Lear supports and delivers on its message to
create job opportunities."
The Renaissance Zone plant will be the fourth plant opened by NYX in the
Detroit area and will cement its already strong relationship with Lear. NYX
was inducted this year into the Lear Supplier Hall of Fame.
Sandhu said Lear's commitment to minority procurement reaches all levels
of the company.
"Ken Way has instilled his commitment in the entire Lear team," Sandhu
said. "Lou Salvatore, President of Chrysler Division, Steve Hayworth, V.P. of
Global Purchasing, Chuck White, director of supplier diversity and development
and Darrel Adams, president of manufacturing have all played critical roles in
our ability to expand to the Renaissance Zone."
And NYX plans to reach out to the surrounding area as more than just an
employer.
"Our mission is to work through community leaders to identify employees,
to help build a viable business that will support the community in the long
term," said Sandhu.
NYX has come a long way from its startup in the mid 1980s, when it
struggled to hold onto its one major customer. Coming from an eighteen-year
career with General Motors, Sandhu joined the company in 1987 and devised
manufacturing methods and controls that opened new doors of opportunity for
the company. The turnaround of NYX convinced Sandhu to take over the
ownership of NYX in 1989.
Today NYX provides integral services and parts to Lear, including
components for seating, consoles, and interior trim. And the company provides
a glove box latch that is part of every Ford product.
Last year, the NYX turnaround culminated in the company winning the MMBDC
Class III Minority Supplier of the Year award.
NYX plans to expand its market to include all of the major OEMs, but the
company's relationship with Lear continues to be a mainstay.
"They are willing to work with you and to aid you in solving problems,"
Sandhu said. He believes Lear represents an expanding market for other
minority suppliers.
"As Lear becomes more global, the opportunities will grow," he said.
"Lear tries to be a good corporate member of the communities in which we
do business," White said. "And we encourage our suppliers to do the same."
Lear Corporation, a Fortune 500 company based in Southfield, Michigan, is
one of the world's largest automotive suppliers, with 1998 sales of $9.1
billion. The company's world class automotive interior products are designed,
engineered and manufactured by more than 60,000 employees in over 200
facilities located in 28 countries. Information about Lear and its products
is available on the Internet at http://www.lear.com.
To contact NYX call: 734-464-0800 or email: mBrooks@NYXInc.com.