The Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP) was joined by the City of Lansing in announcing the new distribution operations of Norm Fasteners, a U.S. subsidiary of Norm Group. Norm Fasteners will be chiefly responsible for carrying out a contract to supply fasteners for Tesla’s new Model 3, as well as a contract with John Deere, while also looking to expand business across North America.
“Norm Fasteners is well positioned for continued growth in the global Automotive market and sees immense opportunity in other North American markets as well,” said Koray Gurbuz, America General Manager of Norm Fasteners. “We are excited for the opportunity to partner with LEAP, the City of Lansing, and the State of Michigan to launch our business here in the United States.”
Norm Group was founded in 1973, and has since become an industry leader in the manufacture of various connectors from bolts to fasteners while also diversifying into machines, logistics and marketing services. Norm Group has quadrupled its production over the past decade, resulting in over a million square feet of operational space across nine production facilities in Turkey, collectively housing more than 1,800 employees. This incredible growth represents the fastest increase in production and growth in Turkey, and catapulted Norm Group into the top 10 firms in the nation.
“It is an absolute delight for LEAP to land foreign direct investment projects in the Lansing region,” said Bob Trezise, President and CEO of LEAP. “Companies like Norm Fasteners make our automotive industry more robust and diversified, and we are looking forward to continued partnership to ensure their success and further growth down the road.”
"We are here to tell businesses around the globe that Lansing’s Time is Now, and there is no better time to launch or expand operations in this city and region of Michigan,” said Lansing Mayor Andy Schor. “This project is especially exciting because a fast-growing international company is choosing to invest in the United States with Lansing as its foothold.”
Norm Fasteners is leasing approximately 20,000 square feet of warehouse space in The Wing at 735 East Hazel Street, investing nearly $1 million over the first two years to get up and running with an expectation to create 17 new jobs over that timeframe. The Wing warehouse, owned by Urban Systems, hosts an eclectic mix of tenants from metal artists to boxing instructors with a vision for providing both creative and utilitarian spaces. Norm Group chose Lansing and Michigan over competing locations in the Chicago area of Illinois and in Indiana. The company intends to expand its distribution operation with a production line during years 3-5, which would encompass additional investment and job creation.
“It is great to see LEAP’s global investment pipeline bearing fruit, now with two foreign direct investment announcements just within the past two months – the Irish company Glanbia with its massive cheese and whey processing campus underway in St. Johns, and now the first North American operations of this Turkish company in a historic warehouse in the City of Lansing,” said Keith Lambert, VP of Business Attraction at LEAP. “We look forward to adding to this momentum with other companies around the world.”
