AVL is the world's largest
privately owned and independent company for the development of gasoline,
diesel, alternative fuel and the latest in sustainable powertrain
systems and technology. For more than 60 years AVL has been a leader in
the development and testing of engines, transmissions, emissions systems
and noise, vibration and harshness solutions. The company offers
combined solutions of powertrain engineering, advanced simulation
applications and standalone instrumentation and test systems. Located in
Plymouth,
Michigan, AVL is proud to call Wayne County home to its North American
headquarters.
With its global headquarters in
Graz, Austria, AVL expanded to North America in the 1960s to better
serve its North American customers. In 1996, AVL selected Plymouth as
its North American headquarters - central to AVL's customer base. AVL
continued to quickly expand. In 2007 AVL opened another office in
Plymouth, less than a mile from the headquarters.
"AVL first selected Wayne
County due to its location and close proximity to our core OEM customer
base," said Don Manvel, Chairman and CEO, AVL Americas, Inc. "AVL has
continued to stay and expand here because of the county and the city of
Plymouth's willingness to work with us to help meet our growing needs."
AVL activities embrace all functions from
concept definition through to production development. Supported by
comprehensive in-house research, AVL's engineering specialists design
and develop engines for both stationary and mobile applications,
transmissions and complete powertrain systems. AVL has technical centers
in Plymouth and Ann Arbor, which house a total of 21 test sites for
engine, transmission, and powertrain development and testing. In
addition, the Ann Arbor facility is currently in the process of
commissioning a new battery test lab for the development and testing of
batteries and electric drivetrain technology for electric and
hybrid-electric vehicles.
AVL employs over
350 employees in North America, including development engineers,
software engineers, project managers, sales and support staff. AVL has a
large manufacturing facility where many systems are assembled and
tested. AVL North America also houses the AVL Emissions Competence
Center. Here products are developed for advanced emissions analysis, in
particular for the special needs of the American market, but also for
international customers.