EAST LONDON, South Africa, March 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Johnson Controls, a global leader in automotive seating, interiors and electronics, announced the expansion of its interiors plant in East London, South Africa. The plant held an official opening ceremony today.

"Our plant in East London has been growing since it opened in 2000," said Ingo Fleischer, vice president & general manager, global Daimler Business Unit, Interiors for Johnson Controls Automotive Electronics & Interiors. "We were previously just producing interior and seating components on a just-in-time basis. Now we are deepening the value chain, and adding more production capabilities."

The East London plant currently supplies interior components, including headliners and instrument panels for the Mercedes-Benz C-Class. It will create 200 new jobs and will also supply door panels in the future. The new building has 13,000 m² of space for three assembly lines.

"We would like to thank the Department of Trade and Industry and the South African Government, for supporting us with our latest investment in the East London Industrial Development Zone," said Marco vom Wege, vice president & general manager Johnson Controls Automotive South Africa (Pty) Ltd.

The company established its operations in South Africa in 1994 with approximately 65 employees. Today, Johnson Controls employs more than 1,700 people in its five plants in South Africa. The company's plants in Port Elizabeth and Sandton produce metal structures and mechanisms for automotive seats. The plants in Uitenhage and Pretoria supply complete car seats on a just-in-time basis to various major automakers.

"The South African automotive industry has shown continuous growth since we established our presence here. The country has become an important location within the global automotive manufacturing network," said Fleischer. "Our success can be greatly attributed to our employees at the plant," added vom Wege. "We are recruiting team members with technical educations to support us in driving the future automotive business of the company."

About Johnson Controls

Johnson Controls is a global diversified technology and industrial leader serving customers in more than 150 countries. Our 170,000 employees create quality products, services and solutions to optimize energy and operational efficiencies of buildings; lead-acid automotive batteries and advanced batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles; and interior systems for automobiles. Our commitment to sustainability dates back to our roots in 1885, with the invention of the first electric room thermostat. Through our growth strategies and by increasing market share we are committed to delivering value to shareholders and making our customers successful.

About Johnson Controls Automotive Experience

Johnson Controls is a global leader in automotive seating, overhead systems, door and instrument panels, and interior electronics. We support all major automakers in the differentiation of their vehicles through our products, technologies and advanced manufacturing capabilities. With 240 locations worldwide, we are where our customers need us to be. Consumers have enjoyed the comfort and style of our products, from single components to complete interiors. With our global capability we supply approximately 50 million cars per year.

For more information, please contact:

Johnson Controls GmbH
Automotive Electronics & Interiors
Industriestraße 20-30
51399 Burscheid
Germany

Astrid Schafmeister
Tel.: +49 2174 65-3189
E-mail:astrid.schafmeister@jci.com

SOURCE Johnson Controls Automotive Experience