Autodie to invest $24 million in plant | News

GRAND RAPIDS (WZZM)- An auto parts manufacturer focusing on new technology is growing in Grand Rapids. 

Leaders of Autodie are now planning to invest nearly $24 million to retool the plant. Autodie has been manufacturing vehicle stamping dies for more than 40 years.  But five years ago the company nearly fell victim to the auto industry's decline.

David Darling, the Head of Operations at Autodie says, "We were a part of it. In 2006, Autodie, after 40 years in business was slated to close. As a result, we had to figure out how to do things a little bit smarter. It really came to challenging the status quo and we found some big victories in doing that."

Autodie generated $55 million in revenue last year.  Company leaders say more than 40% of that went to local suppliers.  They are not saying if the reinvestment will lead to new jobs.