Nexteer Automotive, a manufacturer of motion control technologies, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the administrative committee of Suzhou Industrial Park to establish its Suzhou Smart Manufacturing Project.
Under the MoU, Nexteer will acquire 10 hectares of land in Suzhou to build a smart manufacturing base, on which approximately 70,000 square meters of buildings will be constructed. Upon completion, Nexteer will relocate operations from its current leased facility in Suzhou to the new site.
The facility will be used to produce Nexteer’s product portfolio which supports by-wire chassis control, including electric power steering systems, steer-by-wire and rear-wheel steering systems, driveline systems, software solutions and brake-by-wire technologies.
Since establishing operations in Suzhou in 2007, Nexteer has steadily increased its investments in the local area – from manufacturing plants and its APAC Technical Center, to its APAC Headquarters. This new smart manufacturing project marks the next step in Nexteer’s regional optimisation strategy.
The new Suzhou plant will be designed and constructed using principles of what the company refers to as ‘intelligence + green’, combining high-standard facilities with intelligent production lines. It will accelerate the digitalisation and sustainability of Nexteer’s manufacturing processes while significantly expanding capacity for motion control technologies.
“Signing this MoU for Nexteer’s Suzhou Smart Manufacturing Project is a key milestone in our China and broader APAC growth strategy,” said Li Jun, global vice president and APAC division president, Nexteer Automotive.
“Suzhou and the Yangtze River Delta region offer abundant resources, outstanding talent and a mature supply chain – a strong foundation for Nexteer’s future. We will also continue to leverage local innovation with global collaboration across Nexteer to deliver advanced steering and motion control solutions at ‘China speed’ for our global and domestic customers.”
This MoU for the Suzhou facility follows several recent commitments by Nexteer, including opening a new smart manufacturing and testing facility in Changshu, China in January 2025; breaking ground in July 2025 on a new smart manufacturing facility in Liuzhou, China to expand domestic and global OEM support, which is expected to be fully operational in 2026; breaking ground on an expansion of its Mexico Technical Center in Querétaro, expected to be fully operational by Q4 2025; and the continuing transformation of its Saginaw, Michigan, US site via plant consolidation, real estate optimisation and modernisation of operations.
