Established in 1988, AWTEC began operations in Plymouth, Michigan to support its parent company Aisin AW (subsidiary of Aisin Seiki), by remanufacturing automatic transmissions for Toyota vehicles throughout North America.
“We came to North America due to a need for our services by Toyota, but as time went on our customer base grew and the breadth of our product offerings followed.” recalled AWTEC President Eiji Kato.
AWTEC currently serves 18 different original equipment (OE) customers, covering more than 60 vehicle models and 400 automatic transmission part numbers. Today, those OE customers include Ford, General Motors, Lexus, Mazda, Suzuki, Toyota and Volvo.
Because of its growing diversity, and the needs of its customers, AWTEC has had to continue to innovate and expand its capabilities. This, combined with an unceasing focus on quality and customer service, has earned the company the respect of its customers and a number of awards.
As Aisin AW’s first subsidiary in North America, AWTEC plays an important role in the future of the parent company’s global operations. It is one of the few remanufacturers of six and eight-speed transmission technologies, which have been a source of continued growth.
“This is a very exciting time for the company. Although we are still primarily a remanufacturer of automatic transmissions, we are set to explore new areas that will present more opportunities for the business,” explained Kato.
Indeed, AWTEC has further expanded its capabilities and product offerings by starting its first ever navigation system media processing operation.
On AWTEC’s priorities in the coming years, Kato is very clear, saying, “Quality in the service to our customers and the innovation in our technology will always be our priority.”
- Originally prepared by Global Media for The Japan Times Special Report on the U.S. Midwest 2014 (Credit: Philippe Le Saux, Angelo Romualdez, Elizabeth Arcega and Brian Banta)
