The U.S. automotive base has steadily migrated southward.
As OEMs and top tier providers have inundated the Southeast, suppliers in the traditional Midwest vehicle stronghold have had to come to grips with lengthening supply chains, and the need to stay engaged and immediately available to now-distant customers.
“We stay very close to industry trends as to where our customers are located and where the work is flowing, not only regionally and throughout North America, but globally,” explains Dan Craig, Hatch Stamping president and chief operating officer. The company is predominately dedicated to the automotive industry, serving primarily Tier One and Two customers and OEMs. “Any new assembly or OEM plants in North America, excluding Mexico,” he continues, “are being built in the Southeast United States. Understanding that migration, we felt that if we had to redeploy assets, the Southeast would be the logical place.”
