Walbro announces major die casting expansion in North America
On June 8, Walbro LLC celebrated the opening of a new aluminum die casting facility in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony. Guests attending the ceremony included Javier Lizárraga Mercado, secretary of economic development; Jose Mario Cadena Bórquez, executive president of the Council of Economic Development of Sinaloa (CODESIN); and Alvaro Ruelas, mayor (president) of Ahome County.
The new facility, which is co-located with Walbro’s Engine Management plant in Los Mochis, was slated to start production in June and share management, supply chain and administrative services with the existing plant. The plant will initially manufacture flywheels for small engines in the first two installed die casting centers. Due to strong customer interest, plans are already in place to add six additional die casting machines. The facility will employ 60-70 additional workers at full capacity.
“I am pleased to announce Walbro’s latest investment in precision die casting and the continued expansion of our North American production operations,” said Matthew Riddle, Walbro’s president and CEO. “Our team was able to take advantage of over 20 years of die casting experience from our other locations to design and install a world-class die casting facility in Mexico. This capability allows us to serve our existing North American customers with shorter lead times and a broader range of products, while opening the door for opportunities to serve an expanded customer base.”
Walbro is a global market leader in supplying engine management systems for the lawn and garden, recreational and marine, outdoor power equipment, and two-wheel small-engine markets. Walbro manufactures carburetors, fuel injection systems, ignition systems, pumps, valves and fuel storage and distribution systems. Walbro is a global organization with manufacturing and engineering facilities in China, Japan, Mexico, Thailand and the United States, and corporate headquarters in Tucson, Ariz. Additional information regarding Walbro is available at www.walbro.com.
