Delphi Expands Business With Nissan; Contract Means New Investment for Saginaw
29 June 1999
Delphi Expands Business With Nissan; Contract Means New Investment for SaginawSAGINAW, Mich., June 29 -- Delphi Automotive Systems announced today it has significantly expanded its business with Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., prompting additional investment in precision manufacturing technology for integral steering gears produced here. Nissan recently awarded Delphi a contract to provide STEER-LITE(TM) lightweight integral steering gears for all Nissan trucks, including the Nissan Frontier and Xterra Sport Utility Vehicles, beginning with Nissan's 2000 model year. Revenue details of the contract were undisclosed. "This contract is a prime example of how our status as an independent company is helping us diversify our customer base," said Paul Tosch, president, Delphi Saginaw Steering Systems. "It demonstrates our ability to support our global customers from our U.S. manufacturing sites." The integral steering gears will be produced at Delphi Saginaw Steering Systems' Plant 7 in Saginaw, Mich., USA. The production contract requires approximately 46 jobs for Nissan gear production in the plant. Delphi will support the added Nissan gear production by investing in excess of $15 million (U.S.) in new tooling and equipment for Saginaw, Tosch said. Delphi has invested over $33 million in the last 18 months for precision gear manufacturing technology to modernize and expand production capacity for STEER-LITE integral gears designed for other leading truck and sport utility vehicle manufacturers. "Winning this contract is a direct result of our entire team working together, and should help us remain a viable and competitive business into the future," Tosch said. Chris Vincent, Nissan customer manager for Delphi Saginaw Steering Systems, said Delphi's combination of technology and experience will bring great value to Nissan's programs. "Our gear is a low-mass, high-durability solution for performance, cost and mass reduction challenges facing all our customers," he said. Delphi is the world's largest producer of integral steering gears and also produces a full line of manual and power assist rack and pinion gears for the passenger car and light truck market. Delphi Automotive Systems, with headquarters in Troy, Mich., USA, is a world leader in automotive component and systems technology. Delphi's three business sectors -- Dynamics & Propulsion; Safety, Thermal & Electrical Architecture; and Electronics & Mobile Communications -- provide comprehensive product solutions to complex customer needs. Delphi has more than 196,000 employees and operates 168 wholly owned manufacturing sites, 51 customer centers and sales offices, and 27 technical centers in 36 countries. Regional headquarters are located in Paris, Tokyo and Sao Paolo. Delphi can be found on the Internet at http://www.delphiauto.com.