Hayes Lemmerz Intl. Inc. has established a joint venture with Cromodora Wheels S.p.A. and Inci Hlding A.S. to produce aluminum wheels at a plant in Manisa, Turkey. The plan is to produce up to 1.5 million wheels per year for automakers in Turkey and Europe.

Jantas Aliminyum Jant Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S. (a.k.a. Jantas Aluminum Wheels) will be 40% owned by Hayes Lemmerz, with Cromodora holding 35%, and Inci holding 25%. Cromodora is a supplier of aluminum and specialty wheels, and Inci is a Turkish conglomerate.

"It is important to team with the right partners. Our business ventures with Inci date back to 1992," said Fred Bentley, President of Hayes Lemmerz' International Wheel Group. "This joint venture will benefit from the technical know how of both Hayes Lemmerz and Cromodora to establish a manufacturing process based on the most advanced techniques." He said the venture will be a strategic expansion of capabilities in Turkey, and a part of an ongoing geographic expansion to serve automaking customers in developing markets. This year, Hayes Lemmerz is expanding in Brazil, Czech Republic, and Thailand.

Hayes Lemmerz has 44 plants worldwide.