San Antonio: Takata buckles into $18M expansion

SAN ANTONIO – The next generation of high-tech seat belt
buckles will be made at a newly expanded $18 million manufacturing plant in the
Alamo City.

Construction crews finished a major expansion of the Takata
Seat Belt plant off Wiseman Rd. in December 2015.

Using a state-of-the-art assembly line and high-tech
robotics, the new plant can produce 27 million seat belt parts per year.

The new 48,000-sf plant currently employs 35 people but was
designed to easily accommodate future expansions, if needed.

Based on current global demand for cars and seat belts,
Takata Vice President of Seat Belt Operations Scott Simpton said the company is
prepared to invest another $12 million to add a second line and hire 35
more people as early as 2017.

Takata opened its original manufacturing
facility off Wiseman Rd. in 1996. The original plant’s 340 employees make
133 different parts at a rate of 194 million parts per year.