Proseat and Johnson Controls Announce Joint Venture

Proseat (joint venture between Recticel and Woodbridge) and Johnson Controls have decided to set up a new manufacturing joint venture for the production of molded foam seating cushions in Slovakia and Poland.
Each company will carry out its own programs in these new entities in 2007 to support the future growth in the Eastern European markets.
Due to the fact that a lot of automakers are setting up their business in Eastern Europe, Proseat and Johnson Controls have decided to invest jointly in two plants.
These are located in Lucenec, Slovakia and Zory, Poland.
Both plants are part of the production joint venture in which Johnson Controls will hold the majority with 65% and Proseat the remaining 35%. In Slovakia, they will use the currently existing manufacturing capacity at the Johnson Controls plant in Lucenec.
The new plant in Poland will be operational in November 2007 and will employ around 130 people.
Proseat will now have thirteen production sites at its disposal in nine countries; Belgium, Germany, France, the Czech Republic, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Spain and the United Kingdom. Since the early 1990s, Johnson Controls has been continually expanding its presence in the new growth markets and now has over 23 locations in Slovakia, Slovenia, Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Russia and Turkey.
The cooperation between Proseat and Johnson Controls enables both companies to meet the rising demand in Eastern Europe in the future by producing close to the customer and cost-efficiently.
Proseat is the joint venture between the Belgian company Recticel, a producer of polyurethanes with some hundred production units in 26 countries, and the Canadian company Woodbridge, the manufacturer of polyurethanes with production sites in North and South America, Australia and Asia.
Johnson Controls’ automotive product portfolio includes seating systems, instrument panels/cockpits, door and overhead systems, interior electronics and electrical energy management.
The company provides batteries for automobiles and hybrid electric vehicles, along with systems engineering and service expertise.
Founded in 1885, Johnson Controls is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.