Detroit Free Press
Oct. 23, 2025
Jamie L. LaReau
Photo credit: Google Maps
The auto supplier industry in Michigan is losing nearly 450 jobs as two major supplier companies close shop due to volatility in the car industry related to electric vehicle production and the end of two SUVs made by Ford Motor Co.
According to Worker Adjustment and Retaining Notifications (WARN) filed with the state this month, automotive plastics parts supplier International Automotive Components (IAC) Group in Mendon and Alma and Dana Thermal Products, which makes battery cooling plates, in Auburn Hills, are all permanently closing facilities.
“I can confirm that Dana has made the difficult decision to close our manufacturing facility located on Giddings Road in Auburn Hills,” Craig Barber, spokesman for Dana Incorporated, told the Detroit Free Press. “This decision is the result of the unexpected and immediate reduction in customer orders driven by lower demand for electric vehicles, which has rendered continued operations at the plant no longer viable. Dana continues to operate our driveline manufacturing facility in Auburn Hills.”
Dana manufactures driveshafts, primarily for light trucks and SUVs, at its driveline facility, Barber said. He declined to say how many employees the company maintains at that facility.
Glenn Stevens, executive director of MichAuto at the Detroit Regional Chamber, told the Free Press that the closings are part of the “multiple forces at work” impacting Michigan’s supplier industry.
“Unquestionably, the increased costs and uncertainty surrounding trade policy and tariffs are affecting companies. At the same time, we continue to experience the effect of the retraction of investment in EV programs,” Stevens said of the supplier community’s challenges. “Additionally, and underscoring the complexity of this intricate and complex global supply chain, we have the disruptions caused by a fire at a supplier facility and now a looming chip shortage. Yet again, we see how Michigan is disproportionately susceptible to these challenges, but we also see the industry’s resilience.”