Colmar-based Dorman Products, an auto parts company, recently opened a 100,000-square-feet manufacturing facility in Virginia Beach, Va.
The facility, which will produce drive shafts, replaces another Virginia Beach location and is five times larger. It will allow Dorman to meet growth in the automotive drive shaft market sector.
To efficiently engineer and manufacture front and rear drive shafts, the company installed robotic welding, drive shaft balancing equipment and testing gear, and advanced computer-controlled machine tools in the plant.
In addition, an area is devoted to the custom packaging of steel and aluminum drive shafts. Protective packaging is required to ensure the precise balance achieved during final testing is maintained during shipping.
“Dorman invested millions of dollars in this world-class facility in response to our customers’ needs,” Eric Luftig, Dorman senior vice president of Product, said. “The new Virginia Beach plant will help our team of engineers and skilled tradespeople design, produce and promptly ship some of the highest quality drive shafts in the automotive industry.”
Dorman also has manufacturing facilities in Nevada and Tennessee that design, manufacture and distribute more than 3,600 precision steel and aluminum drive shafts and related driveline components.
Dorman offers a catalog of products for cars, trucks, and specialty vehicles.