East London, Republic of South Africa (April 25, 2022) – Auria Solutions, a global tier-one supplier of vehicle flooring, acoustical and fiber-based products, and Feltex Automotive, a long-established regional manufacturer of automotive textiles and acoustic components, have announced the formation of a new joint venture that will serve certain automotive OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) in the region.

Feltex acquired a minority stake in Auria South Africa (Pty.) Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Auria Solutions Ltd.  The new joint venture will continue to be called Auria Solutions and will operate out of the new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility that was launched in East London in the third quarter of 2021. The JV will manufacture numerous vehicle interior products including flooring systems, dash insulators, trunk trim and parcel shelves for certain locally produced global OEM platforms.

The strategic partnership combines the global automotive manufacturing and engineering capability of Auria with the local raw material and vertical integration capabilities of Feltex.

“Feltex has a strong reputation and deep roots in this regional automotive hub, and we are excited about the combined strength and growth opportunities our strategic partnership brings to this new joint venture,” said Brian Pour, President and CEO of Auria Solutions.

According to Feltex Automotive CEO, Ugo Frigerio, “We are extremely pleased to once again form a partnership with Auria Solutions. The Auria team brings with it strong global manufacturing and technical know-how in an industry that is transitioning towards new technologies and production methods.”

The new Auria East London manufacturing facility comprises 11,200 square meters of manufacturing space with state-of the-art equipment specialized for the manufacture of floor carpets, trunk trim, dash insulators and parcel shelves. Manufacturing processes within the plant include compression molding, polyurethane back foaming, high frequency welding, waterjet cutting, injection molding and sequencing.

About Auria:

Auria Solutions is a leading global supplier of automotive flooring, acoustical, thermal, aerodynamic and other fiber-based solutions. Formed in 2017, Auria is built on more than a century of transportation industry heritage. The company, with financial headquarters in Coleshill, England and operational headquarters in Southfield, Mich., USA, Shanghai, China and Dusseldorf, Germany, operates 18 manufacturing, 10 technical facilities and seven JV locations and employs approximately 5,000 people worldwide.

About Feltex:

Feltex Automotive Division, part of the JSE listed KAP Industrial Group, comprises six business units that supply products directly and indirectly to the South African OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers), with its Head Office in Durban. This division is now one of South Africa’s largest automotive component manufacturers, with manufacturing facilities situated in Durban, Rosslyn (Pretoria), Ga-Rankuwa (Pretoria), Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) and East London – all in close proximity to the assembly plants to facilitate “just in time” and “just in sequence” supply.

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