Chinese Auto Parts Giant Expands in Morocco with $380 Million Wheel Factory

Launched since November 2019, the new plant will multiply the annual production capacity to reach 6 million wheels, with the creation of 1,250 jobs, thus exceeding the predefined objectives. The plant will also produce premium high-end paint products and a range of larger wheels.

During the ceremony, Moulay Hafid Elalamy, Minister of Industry, Trade and Green and Digital Economy, indicated that this new investment proves the real resilience of the Moroccan automotive sector and attests to the confidence of global automotive industry leaders in the Moroccan destination. In addition, the competitiveness of the national automotive sector is developing thanks to the strengthening of sincere local integration and the decarbonization of production, through the use of renewable energies.

For the CEO of Dicastal Morocco Africa, Badr Lahmoudi, several difficulties have marked the realization of this second plant set up in the midst of the global health crisis. But Morocco has managed to win the group’s trust and has proven its potential, thanks to the quality of its skills and its infrastructure. Thus, the group plans to set up a high-voltage substation for greater energy efficiency and to facilitate the use of renewable energy, Lahmoudi said, specifying that the project will be carried out in partnership with the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE), for a total amount of 60 million dirhams.

To recall, Dicastal’s first plant has been in operation since its inauguration in June 2019, and employs more than 650 people. This first plant required an investment of more than 147 million euros.