Automotive Supplier Topre Goes Big on Second Expansion

Topre America Corp., a U.S. automotive steel parts supplier, is expanding its facility near downtown Springfield, Ohio.

In late 2016, Topre America made the decision to invest $10 million into a 20-employee plant on a roughly 30-acre industrial site that once housed a factory for International Harvester (Navistar International Corp.). The plant will supply the nearby Honda of America.

Brad Pepper, Topre America’s vice president, said the company saw appeal in the geographic proximity to customers and is interested in the history of the site and the community.

“At the end of the day, geographically it’s located ideally between Honda Indiana, Honda Ohio and Toyota in Kentucky,” Pepper said. “We supply all those plants. The Springfield community is the perfect strategic location for us to locate and expand our operations.”

As the project progressed, Topre America committed to doubling its investment. Topre America opened the doors to its brand new 174,000-square-foot stamping and assembly plant in November 2017. The facility is essential to meeting the demand for lightweight vehicles.

Customer production requests increased as a result of the expansion.

Consequently, Topre America made the decision earlier this year to expand for a second time. Now the facility will occupy 315,000 square feet of space and employ 289 employees. The company’s total investment in the facility will be around $130 million.

Topre America is a U.S. subsidiary of Topre, a fast-growing, Japan-based producer of high-strength steel components for the automotive industry.

Read the full details here on Automotive News.