Making A Home In Rome

f&P georgia Making A Home In Rome

It’s been 20 years since management of the Japanese auto parts maker F. Tech, Inc., chose a spot in the Floyd County Industrial Park to locate a new U.S. manufacturing plant. That decision has paid dividends for the U.S. subsidiary, F&P Georgia.

The Rome company is one of five North American subsidiaries of F. Tech, Inc., manufacturers of high-performance suspension system parts for automobile manufacturers.

Almost before the ink dried on an expansion deal with the Rome-Floyd County Development Authority in 2021, the company won another contract with a Toyota plant in Alabama and were soon back in front of the authority for additional financial backing.

The original proposal called for a $23 million capital investment, but less than a month later, the company sought another $17 million for additional production capacity. Rather than do two separate deals, the projects were rolled into one. Plant Manager Bruce Critchlow said the exciting part about the second agreement is that the contract was with a new F&P OEM automaker in Toyota. The two projects will increase employment at the Rome plant from the June level of 517 to approximately 540 by September when the new customer comes online.

“We have our foot in the door.” Critchlow said. “Every time there is a new model, we have the opportunity to expand.”

When F&P Georgia began production in Rome, it supplied parts for the Honda Odyssey, followed by orders for the Nissan Quest and the Honda Pilot. By 2009, the Honda Ridgeline was added to the list. Over the last decade, the company has added production for several other Nissan vehicles, including the Altima, Leaf, and Rogue. Honda expanded its use of the Rome plant for the MDX model.

Rome has been the “sweet spot” for F&P Georgia over the past two decades. It has been a supplier for several plants in neighboring states as the automotive industry has experienced a Southern surge over the last 20 or more years. The company has expanded its workforce on at least five different occasions.

Growth at F&P Georgia in 2012 resulted in the company taking over the second building in the industrial park located near the Georgia Highlands College campus. Two years later, the company added another 50,000 square feet to the second building, located at Governors Drive and Pirelli Drive.

The growth for F&P Georgia has come in significant spurts. A new 400-ton press was brought online in February. In addition, a 160-ton press was transferred to the Rome plant earlier this year, specifically sent to meet the demand that has been growing and ramping back after the Covid-caused slowdown.

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F&P Georgia is one of the leaders in advanced manufacturing processes among the industries that are a part of the Greater Rome Existing Industries Association. Three months ago, the company added three robotic weld lines. The technology involves a process known as Weld Bead Identification. The equipment automatically assesses the strength of a weld before passing the sub-frame assembly onto the next station.

Georgia Northwestern Technical College was the beneficiary when F&P Georgia donated some of the older robotic equipment to the school, allowing students hands-on learning and practice. The company participates in a Youth Apprenticeship Program, and its employees regularly coach and mentor students as one of the leading business partners with the local schools. At one point, every production technician on the welding line at F&P was either a GNTC graduate or enrolled in the automation production training program at the school.

As a Tier One supplier, Critchlow explained that as the automotive industry matures in the South, F&P Georgia expects to have many more opportunities for future expansion.