With the desire to be recognised as an excellent international provider of products, processes and services relating to sheet metal working for the automotive industry, when it comes to steel, MA Automotive is a reputable name you can trust.
DETERMINED TO GROW
MA Automotive is a subsidiary of the CLN Group that specialises in producing and assembling steel automotive structural parts, components, subassemblies and modules. With an international presence in Africa, Asia, Italy, Europe and South America, the company now manages 26 production plants and three R&D centres across these locations.
CLN Group has a presence in the processing and marketing of flat laminated steel for various user sectors including the motor industry; from the stamping and assembly of structural parts and vehicle components to steel wheels for all vehicle types and from the world of domestic electrical appliances to earth moving machinery and, to all fields using steel in a more general capacity.
Made up of four main divisions, CLN Steel Service Centre (SSC), MW, MFB and MA, the Group aims to be a leader in the development and assembly of high technological content industrial steel products, offering dedicated solutions and services while striving to become a name synonymous with trust and excellence in the steel industry. “Our guiding principles at the base of all our activities generate value for our customers, suppliers and personnel,” says the company.
Backed by CLN’s extensive experience, and knowledge of raw materials and semi-finished products combined with the tendency to push experimentation to the limit, MA Automotive is able to create made-to-measure bespoke products and materials for a myriad of customers.
INDUSTRIAL EXPERTS
The MA division of the business is a major supplier of structural parts and components to international passenger car manufacturers and tier one system suppliers; it produces chassis and frameworks, internal and external panelling, locking devices and doors, and extrusions.
Supported by a product development team, MA automotive is able to successfully integrate management of the entire value chain as well as demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of the industrialisation processes involved in steel manufacturing.
Accompanying its expertise in manufacturing is a comprehensive understanding of both health and safety compliances and environmental considerations. Consequently, in 2014 CLN Group instigated a reduction in CO2 emissions across its operations equal to 3,200 tonnes.
The Group has definable targets for the reduction of greenhouse gases and is working on reducing consumption of gas and electricity and is actively seeking renewable sources of energy to power its operations across all divisions. Not only this, the Group share a “zero accidents” objective in order to prevent accidents and increase risk awareness in the workplace.
FOUR DECADES OF EXPERIENCE
MA Automotive’s roots can be traced back to the 1970s with the planning of important acquisitions in the Italian business of stamping components and panels for the automotive, commercial vehicle and industrial equipment fields. Under the e MAC (Metallurgica Assemblaggi Carpenterie) SpA, the company was established in Turin in 1978 and later became one of Fiat’s main suppliers.
As the Group began to evolve, it took advantage of the outsourcing trend in the 1990s, a trend already adopted by many large companies. Subsequently, MA Automotive acquired production plants in Melfi, Chivasso, Cassino and Brescia in Italy, growing its workforce to 900 employees.
MA extended its globalisation strategy between 2000 and 2008 by following the production processes of the major OEMs in Europe and South America and became suppliers to a number of major automotive manufacturers.
During this time, international expansion was based on joint ventures with important Groups as the company explains: “In fact, a joint venture was signed with the Japanese Group Unipres involving a production plant in Biache Saint Vaast (France), and with Coskunoz of Bursa, Turkey, the market leader for printing, assembly and high resistance welding machinery.”
In 2007, around 5,000 workers were employed by MA’s printing and mechanical process plants, a significant leap in staff complement when compared to its work force in the 1990s.
The Company’s globalisation strategy came into its own in 2009, when MA consolidated the Italian market through the acquisition of Wagon Automotive and began to focus on entering developing countries by means of alliances with market leading enterprises. “This was to support the expansion projects of major vehicle manufacturers,” says the company.
In South Africa, MA acquired the Comau-Gruppo, Fiat’s Port Elizabeth plant and Läpple-Germany’s plants at Rosslyn and Berlin, and further developed to a total of six plants distributed over the territory with a work force of approximately 1,500 to cater to the needs of the major European and American OEMs present in South Africa.
Recently, MA signed a joint venture with the Chinese steel’s giant Shougang Corporation for the construction of a stamping and assembly plant for automotive structural parts and components in the Beijing area. This will cement the division’s position in Asia and indeed add to its position as a contender on the world stage.
INTERNATIONAL MANUFACTURERS
MA Automotive prides itself on being able to guarantee the satisfaction of customers, shareholders and partners through its constant focus on harbouring prosperous and socially responsible growth.
“We fully respect and closely adhere to customer specifications, offering reliable solutions that are compatible with the existing production systems, while consistently working to reduce the time it takes to get our products to market,” says the company.
Furthermore, with the award-winning CLN Group standing firmly behind it, MA Automotive benefits from Group synergies, with the ability to use CLN’s various production sites and access the equipment most suitable for an individual customer order.
With the desire to be recognised as an excellent international provider of products, processes and services relating to sheet metal working for the automotive industry, when it comes to steel, MA Automotive is a reputable name you can trust and is keen to welcome new industrial partnerships in the future.
