TDS/US Inc. To Open Facility In Virginia

Autoparts Report, Dec 19, 2002

Michigan-based TDS/US Inc. will launch an auto parts-management operation in Chesapeake, Virginia, creating about 210 new jobs, the Virginia Pilot newspaper reported. TDS/US Inc. will handle vehicle frames and other pieces for Ford Motor Co.'s Norfolk truck plant, organizing the parts in sequence so they arrive on the assembly line when needed.

TDS/US is a joint venture between a minority-held investment group that includes president and chief executive Mark Wright; and TDS Automotive Inc. of London, Ontario, which employs about 4,500 workers at warehouses in 11 countries. TDS/US, based in Brownstown, Mich., has four other facilities, all in Michigan, and employs 450 workers.

Ford's $375 million Norfolk plant upgrade, begun last year, will be used to build the redesigned F-150 pickup truck in mid-2003. Other, future models may follow. The plant's 2,200 employees can build about 250,000 units a year at maximum output, the company said.

Last year, the factory built about 195,100 trucks. In 2004, Ford Norfolk is expected to pick up some production of the Super Duty F-series, a model heavier than the F-150 that is used on construction sites and for other commercial jobs.

The automaker has been pushing for more local parts sources to help hold down shipping costs and improve quality. TDS/US is the second supplier to be lured to the factory's expansion.

Next spring, parts giant and former Ford unit Visteon Corp. will open a $17 million fuel tank factory in Chesapeake to supply the new F-150. The highly automated plant will employ 42 people.