The 80,000-sf facility will house an advanced engineering/technical center, North American corporate functions, as well as sales and program management activities. It will be located in the Oakland Technology Park. It also will participate in Automation Alley, a cluster of technology driven companies in Oakland County, specializing in such industries as information systems, automotive, aeronautics, telecommunications, research and development, alternative energy, robotics and software development.

In addition to personnel, Benteler Automotive plans to move a significant portion of its North American product development testing capabilities to the new location. The technical center will include extensive testing capabilities such as dynamometers, crash testing and simulation, fatigue life and emissions, as well as the company's noise-vibration-harshness (NVH) test facilities, advanced materials analysis and product design and prototype development.

A portion of the testing function will remain in the Grand Rapids area, where Benteler has three manufacturing locations. Benteler's Automotive business supplies automotive components, modules and systems to a global customer base. Its product lines include chassis components and modules, safety and structural products, exhaust systems, andtubular components and systems.

Headquartered in Paderborn, Germany, the company is one of four business units owned by Benteler A.G.: Automotive, Steel/Tube, Mechanical Engineering, and Trade. Benteler A.G., with sales of $2.7 billion, operates 40 manufacturing facilities in 13 countries and employs more than 17,500 people.