GRAND RAPIDS – Tesla Motors is acquiring one of its Michigan
parts suppliers, Riviera Tool, giving the California company a foothold in
Michigan, the Detroit Free Press reported Thursday.
Riviera, which makes stamping parts that are shipped to
Tesla’s assembly plant in Fremont, Calif., has about 100 employees. Tesla is
expected to retain those workers and eventually rename the operation Tesla Tool
& Die, said the Free Press source who is not authorized to speak publicly
about the transaction. The automaker is also expected to continue doing
business with other stamping parts suppliers.
The investment in Michigan gives Tesla a manufacturing
footprint in the home state of the Detroit Three automakers: General Motors,
Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. The company expects to continue adding jobs
at Riviera, which is currently located near the Gerald Ford International
Airport.
