Wheel maker to close Kansas plant

by Tom Stundza -- Purchasing, 8/20/2008 1:09:00 PM

Aluminum wheel maker Superior Industries International will close its Pittsburg, Kan., manufacturing plant in December due to reduced demand for sports utility vehicles and light trucks. The Los Angeles Times reports that suppliers of parts for pickups, vans and SUVs have lost business as rising U.S. gasoline prices have damped demand for the light trucks. Superior's first-half revenue fell 12% as it shipped 14% fewer wheels than a year earlier. CEO Steven Borick of the Van Nuys, Calif., firm says: “We believe the (auto market’s) move towards more fuel-efficient vehicles is a permanent shift, not merely a temporary phenomenon.”