DETROIT -- Grupo Antolin has received approval for an expanded state grant for its plans to hire an additional 210 workers at its suburban Detroit auto interiors plant to handle a Dodge truck program.
The Spanish supplier is also committing $2.5 million more toward its initial expansion investment of $61.2 million to lease and expand operations at its 350,000-square-foot plant in Cherry Creek Industrial Park in Shelby Township, Mich.
The company attributes the need for more employees to new contracts to supply automotive headliners, the Michigan Economic Development Corp. said in a memo. Specifically, Grupo Antolin, operating as Antolin Shelby Inc. at that location, is ramping up production for its Dodge program thanks to increased demand triggered by the loss of vehicles during recent natural disasters. It was unclear which Dodge vehicle would be supplied.
To accommodate, the state will up its original performance-based grant of $3.6 million for 430 jobs to $5.36 million for 640 jobs at the plant. The state has approved paying out $1.8 million of the original subsidy.
The direct-hire production positions start at $14.50 and $14.75 per hour with benefits including vacation pay, 401(k), and medical and dental coverage.
Grupo Antolin, which has its North American headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich., ranks No. 45 on the Automotive News list of the top 100 global suppliers with worldwide sales to automakers of $5.8 billion in 2016. It employs more than 26,000 people worldwide.
