New North American Headquarters for Marelli in Southfield, Michigan

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Marelli, a leading global tier-one automotive supplier, has signed a multi-year lease to relocate its North American headquarters to Southfield, Michigan. The company will occupy nearly 200,000 square feet of the brownfield site at 26555 Northwestern Highway, with room to grow. The mid-century modern building, which has been unoccupied since 2015, is conveniently located at the corner of Lahser Road and the John C. Lodge Freeway.

“While it’s important for us to be in close proximity to our automotive clients, it’s just as important to ease the transition for our employees,” said Gene Spektor, Senior Vice President Sales and Business Development North America, Marelli. “Our new location will have minimal impact on the average commute, and will provide employees with a modern, open and collaborative work environment.”

Bringing local teams together under one roof is a key step forward in Marelli’s integration process. In May 2019, Magneti Marelli and Calsonic Kansei came together as Marelli, a move which created one of the world’s largest global independent automotive components suppliers.

In a recent interview with Automotive News, Marelli CEO Beda Bolzenius said, “The integration of the two companies is the most important thing if we want to grow, if we want to have cross sales, if we want to have the right synergies.” Consolidating the teams into a single location in metro Detroit will naturally drive efficiency and cooperation.

The three-story building, which is undergoing extensive renovations, will feature modern workspaces for nearly 500 employees, 75 conference rooms, an auditorium, cafeteria, fitness room, and plenty of indoor/outdoor meeting space. Approximately 100,000 square feet will be dedicated to testing and lab equipment to support R&D activities for the company’s automotive lighting, electronics, exhaust, interiors, powertrain, ride dynamics and thermal solutions business units.

Marelli is leasing the property from Dembs Development, who purchased the building in 2017 from a New York-based investment company. Dembs Development has a strong 30-year history in construction, development, ownership and management of real estate projects throughout the United States.

“Based on our extensive experience in designing and constructing new state-of-the-art facilities, we knew the minute we walked in to this building it had everything it takes, and then some, to become a world-class headquarters once again,” said Ryan Dembs, president Dembs Development.

Dembs Development hired HED as project architect, a national firm specializing in architecture, engineering, planning and consulting for a variety of industries. Recent local projects in the automotive sector include The Environmental Protection Agency’s Automotive Testing Laboratories and the Ford Robotics Building at the University of Michigan, both in Ann Arbor, MI. 

Marelli worked closely with the City of Southfield and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation on site selection. Both organizations provided unmatched support throughout the decision making process.

“The City of Southfield is pleased to welcome Marelli to our ever-growing corporate community,” commented Mayor Kenson Siver. “We trust Marelli employees will enjoy our central location and the convenience of working in Southfield – the Center of It All.”

“When an international company like Marelli chooses Michigan for its North American headquarters, that is a statement about our state’s business attractiveness, talented workforce, and leadership in automotive manufacturing,” said Jeff Mason, CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the state’s chief marketing and business attraction agency, responsible for enabling long-term economic opportunity for all Michiganders. “This project will revitalize a long-vacant building in Southfield and will create a long-term positive impact on the local economy, and we thank Marelli for its continued commitment to Michigan.”

Marelli currently has two locations in Auburn Hills, Michigan, and one in Farmington Hills, Michigan. The company is planning a staggered move-in to begin in late 2020, with full occupancy expected by March 2021.