Italian OEM supplier Magneti Marelli (Corbetta; www.magnetimarelli.com) has further expanded its footprint in China through the investment of around EUR 36m in two production facilities in the country. In April, the company opened a plant for the manufacture of lighting systems in Xiaogan, Hubei and another for electronic systems in Guangzhou.

The facility in Xiaogan, located close to a number of the company’s largest clients, is operated by a joint venture with industrial group China South Industries (Beijing; www.csg.com.cn) – Hubei Huazhong Magneti Marelli Automotive Lighting (see Plasteurope.com of 26.11.2013 – and sirtuated on an area of over 44,000 m². The plant, which represents an investment of EUR 14m, complements another that was inaugurated in 2013 in Foshan – see Plasteurope.com of 04.06.2013.

The initial manufacturing capacity of the facility is 500,000 headlamps annually – these are to be made initially for the Ford "Taurus" and comprise a halogen version and full LED version – with a production target of 2.5m headlamps and 2.5m rear lamps in 2019.

The expansion of the Magneti Marelli Electronics Systems plant in Guangzhou represents an investment of EUR 22m. The facility initially opened in 1996, producing the instrument cluster for the Peugeot "505", and now operates on an area of over 50,000 m², producing instrument clusters, power train electronics, lighting and body electronics, information and entertainment systems and telematics. The present manufacturing capacity is 3.5m automotive electronic modules annually, which will reach 10m in 2019.