Thierica Display Products :At the Cutting-Edge of Auto Manufacturing Excellence

Auto and auto parts stores represent a substantial portion of U.S. retail sales; accounting for 20 percent of the overall market. In the face of rising costs and the pressing need for efficiency and cost reduction, automotive manufacturers are under immense pressure to optimize their production processes.

A cutting-edge contract manufacturing company, Thierica Display Products is one of the key players helping them in this endeavour.

The company is one of the automotive industry’s premier decorators of interior and exterior plastics. They specialize in various critical processes tailored for the automotive markets, including design and engineering, injection molding, painting, laser etching, pad printing and assembly. One of Thierica’s core strengths lies in its use of proprietary and fully automated equipment, developed through collaboration with Thierica Automation, its sister company. These solutions are well-suited to today’s fiercely competitive manufacturing landscape, where optimization of production processes and cost reduction take center stage. Thierica’s automation technology delivers unprecedented first pass yields, color harmonization and quality control, delivering a significant cost advantage to its clients.

The state-of-the-art automation seamlessly integrates multiple processes, leading to waste reduction and shorter product launch times. In an industry that demands precision above all else, Thierica’s automated facilities keep quality as a non-negotiable factor. Equipped with advanced vision cameras and rigorous inspection processes, it ensures exceptional quality control.

Our expression, ‘our team is our strength,’ is not just a motto; it actively bolsters client confidence in our capabilities. Clients appreciate our team’s extensive 75-year experience in areas where subjectivity can influence cosmetic aspects, which enables us to decipher client needs with utmost precision,” says Salvador Guerra, sales and quote manager.

Thierica’s design and engineering services prove to be equally valuable. These services facilitate the optimization of components for production, further enhancing automated processes. This positively impacts key factors like tray capacity, the number of painting passes required, and the overall cost of each part. More importantly, these services align harmoniously with the growing momentum of environmental sustainability in recent years. The shift toward greener practices complements its dedication to sustainable manufacturing processes using advanced automation technologies.

The company’s customer base includes companies from the U.S., Germany, Japan, South Korea, and Italy, collaborating with renowned OEMs such as GM, Audi, Volkswagen, Stellantis, and Nissan.

Thierica strategically locates its manufacturing facilities to enable this global reach. In the U.S., the company’s facility is based in Grand Rapids, MI, while in Mexico, it is situated in Monterrey, just a two-hour drive from the border via Laredo, TX.

Its LatAm location, particularly, has been instrumental in reducing lead times and logistical complexities to meet automotive OEM requirements worldwide.

For instance, recent events, most notably the disruptive impact of the pandemic or the Russian-Ukraine conflict, have starkly highlighted the vulnerability of global supply chains. In this context, the presence of Thierica’s manufacturing facilities in the U.S. and Mexico reinforced the resilience of its operations.

Ever since COVID-19 hit, the automotive industry has witnessed a significant transformation, particularly in how cars are purchased, with many automakers transitioning to an order-based model. Thierica’s flexibility in adapting to this trend can be seen through nimble minimum order quantities, enabling the company to accommodate both short runs and commercial production— effectively catering to evolving client demands.

This includes responding to the growing customer demands for innovation and personalization through diverse services, including precise multi-layered painting, laser etching, back lighting, pad printing and assembly. All these services are geared toward empowering automakers to create customizable interior components that blend functionality with aesthetics.
Persistence and perseverance are two words that define Thierica’s approach to business. Our willingness to think “outside the box” to solve difficult problems is one of the things that our customers rely on. In one notable case, an OEM faced significant challenges, as their existing supplier couldn’t meet the client’s quality or production demands. When Thierica stepped in, the project had virtually no inventory, posing a considerable challenge for transitioning to a new supplier, as there was no room for production downtime. Decorating the parts was not a problem, however the molding requirements exceeded Thierica’s current capacity at the time. Leveraging its extensive experience and network, Thierica was able to successfully execute the program transfer by negotiating a short-term arrangement with a supplier who was able to produce parts within the tight deadlines, while Thierica handled the decoration, until Thierica could free up molding capacity in house. This project is still ongoing and stands as a success story, earning high praise from the OEM and their customer group.

Thierica's exceptional strength lies in its ability and willingness to tackle challenges others shy away from, positioning it as a leader in the decorating industry. Thierica Display Products isn’t just a contract manufacturer, they are a dedicated partner that consistently delivers excellence even in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles.