• Global auto supplier Flex-N-Gate establishing new manufacturing facility in Troy, investing $52.1 million
• Gov. Whitmer also announces mixed-use development in Midtown Detroit to bring workforce housing, increased vibrancy to neighborhood

LANSING, Mich. – Governor Gretchen Whitmer joined the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) recently to announce two projects in Southeast Michigan that will create 245 automotive manufacturing jobs and provide additional housing in Midtown Detroit have been approved by the Michigan Strategic Fund.

“Good paying jobs and housing that is attainable for our workforce remain critical drivers of economic opportunity as we jumpstart Michigan’s economy,” said Governor Whitmer.
“The expansion of Flex-N-Gate Troy means an additional 245 new jobs in Southeast Michigan and continues our leadership in advanced automotive manufacturing and mobility, while the new mixed-use development in Detroit will add critical housing to Midtown.”

Flex-N-Gate Troy establishing manufacturing facility in Troy, creating 245 jobs

Flex-N-Gate Group is a minority-owned American Tier 1 enterprise that operates globally and delivers a broad range of exterior and interior plastic, structural metal, advanced vehicle lighting and mechanical assembly automotive systems and components to automotive OEMs. Established in 2019, Flex-N-Gate Troy, LLC is a Flex-N-Gate Group member company created to supply sequenced plastic fascias and welded underbody rear rails.

The company will operate out of the former AxleTech facility in the city of Troy with an expected private investment of $52.1 million. The project is also creating 245 new jobs, resulting in a $1 million Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant. Michigan was chosen over competing sites in other locations. Flex-N-Gate supports personal growth of its employees and makes every effort to hire, train, and promote from within. The company also utilizes Michigan Works! to reach local talent in disadvantaged areas and underrepresented employees.

“We are thrilled to once again be expanding Flex-n-Gate’s footprint in Michigan with our new manufacturing operation located in Troy. Flex-N-Gate truly appreciates the support that the city and state have shown regarding this project. The State of Michigan has been consistent in its support of all Flex-n-Gate growth plans and it is this consistency which keeps us coming back to Michigan,” said Flex-N-Gate Executive Vice President of Metals and Procurement Bill Beistline.

The project will bring immediate jobs with a large auto supplier and will further solidify the company’s position in Michigan while aligning with MEDC’s strategic goals of retention and growth in the automotive and advanced manufacturing businesses in the state.

The city of Troy has provided support to the project with staff, financial and marketing assistance and extended a previously approved Industrial Facilities Tax Exemption Program abatement for the property.

“The city of Troy is proud to welcome Flex-N-Gate and its employees to its new facility at 1400 Rochester Road in Troy. As a global Tier 1 auto supplier, Flex-N-Gate recognized the significant business advantages that come with a Troy location,” said Glenn Lapin, Troy Economic Development Specialist.

Individuals interested in careers with Flex-N-Gate Troy should visit https://jobs.flex-n-gate.com/.

Petit Bateau, LLC plans to construct two five-story mixed-use buildings, and four multi-family townhome buildings, on six parcels in the Cultural Center of Midtown Detroit. The Petit Bateau project will include the East Building, consisting of commercial space and 38 residential units, and the West Building, comprised of retail space, 38 residential units, and four multifamily townhome buildings with a total of 16 townhomes. The project will include a total of 92 residential units with 20 percent of those units set aside for individuals at 80 percent of area median income or below. The project will also include public improvements such as sidewalks, alley paving, curbs and a low-impact green storm water management system.

The project is expected to generate a total capital investment of $30.9 million. The City of Detroit Brownfield Redevelopment Authority today received MSF approval of a brownfield work plan including state tax capture in the amount of $247,167 for the reimbursement of brownfield activities. The city of Detroit is supporting the project with the local portion of the brownfield Tax Increment Financing and a 15-year Neighborhood Enterprise Zone tax abatement valued at approximately $2.6 million. The city of Detroit is engaged with MEDC’s Redevelopment Ready Communities program.

“Throughout the City, the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation is helping to activate vacant property into productive use,” said DEGC executive vice president Kenyetta Hairston-Bridges, Economic Development and Investment Services. “With the support of the City of Detroit Brownfield Redevelopment Authority, MEDC and MSF, Julio Bateau’s development will complete the last vacant block in Midtown, and provide both commercial space and affordable housing. The DEGC is proud to enable development that connects residents to the rich fabric of the neighborhood with its diverse housing, historic churches, schools, parks, and major cultural institutions.”

The project is putting a long-vacant property to new use, putting it back on the tax roll and offering necessary workforce housing, supporting MEDC strategic objectives including developing attractive places to retain and attract talent and creating more equitable access to attainable housing.

“We are working to retain and grow global companies like Flex-N-Gate who see the opportunity to grow and create good manufacturing jobs in Southeast Michigan, while supporting projects that create the vibrant communities that our workforce is able to live, work and play in,” said Josh Hundt, Chief Business Development Officer and Executive Vice President at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. “We are proud to work with our local partners on these two projects that will help to drive economic opportunity in the region.”

Also in mobility news for Michigan:

GM ups its planned investment in EVs, will build new battery plants
General Motors is investing more money in electric vehicle and self-driving technology, adding capacity at its car assembly factories and building two new battery plants in an aggressive effort to advance and lead in EV sales.

In a wide-sweeping announcement Wednesday, GM said it will increase its investment in EV and autonomous vehicle technologies to $35 billion through 2025, a 75% boost from its initial commitment in early 2020.

GM also said it will build two new battery cell manufacturing plants in the United States by mid-decade but declined to disclose the locations. The battery plants will be in an “optimal location to achieve volume,” GM CFO Paul Jacobson told the news media Wednesday.

May Mobility’s Autonomous Vehicle Shuttle Service to be Launched in October
Ann Arbor-based May Mobility has announced its plan to launch a new autonomous vehicle (AV) shuttle service, the A2GO, in Ann Arbor this fall with a fleet of five fully autonomous on-demand vehicles.

“We are thrilled to be launching a new shuttle service here in our hometown so that our friends, family and the entire community of Ann Arbor can experience our self-driving technology firsthand,” says Edwin Olson, founder and CEO of May Mobility.

A2GO’s fleet will launch on Oct. 11 and feature four hybrid vehicles capable of transporting up to three passengers, along with a fifth fully electric vehicle that will be capable of handicap passenger transportation.

Research project at WMU aims to help autonomous vehicles drive in snow
A student-led team of researchers at Western Michigan University hopes to help self-driving vehicles eventually be safer than their human-driven competition, especially in snowy or stormy conditions.

Nick Goberville, a Ph.D. candidate in WMU’s College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, was helping to lead a research project to better understand and improve how different sensors on self-driving vehicles process inclement weather information.

“I think autonomous vehicles are definitely going to be safer than human drivers in the future, we just have to get to that point,” Goberville said.

Troy-based Electric Last Mile Announces Electric Medium-duty Truck
Troy-based Electric Last Mile Inc. today announced its plans to reveal a working prototype of the Urban Utility, an all-electric medium-duty cab-forward truck, with production slated to begin in the second half of 2022.

With an estimated range of approximately 250 miles unloaded, the ability to support variable cargo box lengths, and an expected payload of around 5,700 pounds, the Urban Utility will be the second electric vehicle in ELMS’ last-mile portfolio.

“We have seen strong early indications of interest in our Urban Utility from fleets seeking more efficient and sustainable last mile delivery solutions,” says James Taylor, co-founder and CEO of ELMS. “With our reveal, we are excited to show our full suite of last-mile e-mobility solutions to some of the country’s largest delivery providers.”

Detroit’s Navv Systems Announces Close of $3.2M Funding Round Led by Arboretum Ventures
Detroit-based Navv Systems, a health care technology company focused on hospital personnel location and equipment tracking and location services, announced it has closed a $3.2 million seed funding round led by Ann Arbor-based Arboretum Ventures. Detroit Venture Partners joined the financing with existing investors including Ann Arbor-based Narrow Gauge Ventures.

NavvTrack was developed at Henry Ford Innovations in Detroit – the development and commercialization arm of Henry Ford Health System (HFHS) – and licensed it to Navv in 2019 to help hospitals track equipment, personnel, and clinical workflows. The technology is already in use at all six HFHS hospitals to optimize patient transport, housekeeping, and central pharmacy deliveries.

“This financing is an important achievement to support our continued growth with new health system customers,” says Dr. Daniel Siegal, Navv’s co-founder and CEO and vice-chair of radiology at HFHS. “Asset tracking remains a difficult challenge in need of a holistic solution that encompasses equipment, patients, and clinicians.”

About Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)
The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is the state’s marketing arm and lead advocate for business development, job awareness, and community development with the focus on growing Michigan’s economy. For more information on the MEDC and our initiatives, visit www.MichiganBusiness.org. For Pure Michigan® tourism information, your trip begins at www.michigan.org 

New mixed-use development in Midtown Detroit will bring workforce housing and increased density to the area