UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 8-K

 

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 OR 15(d)

of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):December 16, 2014

 

GENTHERM INCORPORATED

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (248) 504-0500

Former name or former address, if changed since last report: N/A

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

¨ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

¨ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

¨ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

¨ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

 

 

 

 

 

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On December 16, 2014, Gentherm Incorporated (the “Company”) publicly announced its intention to open a new manufacturing facility in Macedonia.  A copy of the Company’s news release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.  The information in this Item 7.01 and the attached exhibit shall not be deemed filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), nor shall they be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act except as shall be expressly stated by specific reference in such filing.

 

 

 

 

 

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

 

 

 

 

Exhibit Index

 

 

EXHIBIT 99.1

NEWS RELEASE for December 16, 2014

 

 

GENTHERM TO EXPAND PRODUCTION CAPACITY IN EUROPE

WITH NEW MANUFACTURING FACILITY IN MACEDONIA

 

Expected to Ultimately Employ Up to 1,000 People

 

NORTHVILLE, MI and PRILEP, MACEDONIA (December 16, 2014) . . . Gentherm (NASDAQ-GS: THRM), the global market leader and a developer of innovative thermal management technologies, announced today that it intends to expand its production capacity in Europe by opening a new manufacturing facility in Macedonia.

 

The first phase of the facility would be approximately 65,000 square feet and is tentatively planned to open in the fourth quarter of 2015.  The new facility would be dedicated to the production of the full line of Gentherm seat comfort and industrial products, and, after a three year build-up to full employment, is expected to provide jobs for up to 1,000 people. The planned facility site is located close to the city of Prilep in the southwestern part of the country.

 

President and CEO Daniel R. Coker noted that the facility site is large enough for expansion to meet the expected growth in the Company’s European operations.

 

“Our customers are all the major automobile OEMs in the world and our mix of products continues to grow, so it is becoming increasingly important for us to have a global network of manufacturing facilities,” Coker said, adding that Gentherm has other manufacturing facilities in the Ukraine, in Mexico, in Langfang, China and more recently opened an electronics components manufacturing facility in Shenzhen, China. “We also have a very strong specialty cable business in Europe that continues to grow. We believe that the country of Macedonia provides us with a competitive environment to further pursue our ambitious growth plans in Europe, and elsewhere in the world.”

 

About Gentherm

Gentherm (NASDAQ-GS:THRM) is a global developer and marketer of innovative thermal management technologies for a broad range of heating and cooling and temperature control applications. Automotive products include actively heated and cooled seat systems and cup holders, heated and ventilated seat systems, thermal storage bins, heated automotive interior systems (including heated seats, steering wheels, armrests and other components), cable systems and other electronic devices.  The Company’s advanced technology team is developing more efficient materials for thermoelectric and systems for waste heat recovery and electrical power generation for the automotive market that may have far-reaching applications for consumer products as well as industrial and technology markets.  Gentherm has more than 8,300 employees in facilities in the U.S., Germany, Canada, China, England, Hungary, Japan, Korea, Malta, Mexico and the Ukraine.  For more information, go to www.gentherm.com.

 

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Except for historical information contained herein, statements in this release are forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements include statements regarding future facilities, sales, products, opportunities, markets, expenses and profits. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may cause the Company's actual results in future periods to differ materially from forecasted results. Those risks include, but are not limited to, risks that sales may not increase, financing requirements may not be available, planned expansion may not be possible, new competitors may arise and adverse conditions in the industry in which the Company operates may negatively affect its results. Those and other risks are described in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013 and subsequent reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), copies of which are available from the SEC or may be obtained from the Company. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, which are made as of the date hereof, even if new information becomes available in the future.

 

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