Michigan Governor Rick Snyder paid a visit to SAIC Motor on Nov 25 and met with Chen Hong, chairman of the SAIC Motor. Snyder expressed gratitude for SAIC's contributions to Michigan's economic growth during the meeting, calling for deepening friendly bilateral relations. After the meeting, Zhang Haitao, general manager of Huayu Automotive Systems Co, a listed auto parts supplier in which SAIC Motor has a 60 percent stake, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Michael Finney, the President and the CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
General Motors Corp is located in Michigan. SAIC Motor has maintained good relations with Michigan since it set up a joint venture with General Motors in 1997. In 2012, SAIC Motor's North America operating center officially started operations, and has evolved into a facility that engages in international procurement, overseas logistics integration, foreign investment and supply chain management following a two-year development program. With the advancement of SAIC Motor's innovation and transformation strategy, the operating center founded a venture capital company in 2014, and will make inroads into fund management, technology investment management and cutting-edge technology development.
Huayu is a listed company of the SAIC Motor that specializes in independent auto parts supply business. The MOU with Michigan marks a new step forward for the company in opening up original equipment manufacturer (OEM) market and improving auxiliary good supply distribution. According to the MOU, Michigan welcomes the development of Huayu and its subsidiaries. Huayu plans to focus on automotive trim and window regulator development in the US and offer reciprocatoring and engineering support services to finished vehicle customers in North America. Preliminary investment is expected to reach $81 million, creating job opportunities for about 500 people in Michigan by the end of 2014. The continuous growth in Huayu's business will surely bring more investment and employment opportunities to Michigan in the future.
To date, Huayu and its subsidiaries have set up ten production facilities in the United States, Thailand, Germany, Russia, Australia, the Czech Republic and India through independent development and in-depth cooperation, and offer quality local R&D and goods delivery services to customers.