Superior Industries to Expand Arkansas Plant

Superior Industries International Inc., a maker of automobile wheels and other parts, said it plans to double the size of an Arkansas plant to meet rising orders for aluminum suspension parts. The Van Nuys-based company intends to spend about $5 million to expand the Heber Springs, Ark., plant to about 300,000 square feet. The factory, acquired last September, hasn’t begun production and will be Superior’s first to make the aluminum parts. The plant will employ about 150 people, with production scheduled to start by mid-2001. Auto suppliers are being pressed by auto makers to make lighter parts to help reduce vehicle weight and improve fuel economy. Earlier this month, Hayes Lemmerz International Inc., Superior’s primary rival and the largest maker of wheels, agreed to buy a German aluminum auto-parts foundry to boost its ability to produce lightweight aluminum suspension parts. Superior has an estimated $30 million in orders for the suspension parts over the next three years, the company said. Superior has more than 5,000 employees and supplies aluminum wheels and other auto parts to the major auto makers. Shares of Superior rose 44 cents to close at $33.25 on the New York Stock Exchange.