What Dakkota Integrated Systems makes

Dakkota Integrated Systems is a Tier 1 modular assembler and sequencing supplier for the automotive industry. Rather than making a single part, it assembles complex build-to-broadcast modules that install directly onto an automaker's line: cockpit and instrument-panel modules, overhead systems, consoles, suspension, cooling modules, tire-and-wheel assemblies, bumper-and-grille, and fascia systems. The company describes this as the "Cadillac of assemblies," a reference to the volume of parts and the compressed timeline between its build and integration into a vehicle.

Around the assembly work sits a full logistics operation. Dakkota runs material sequencing centers that provide sequenced commodities, kitting, bulk and small-lot metering, and container management, plus inbound logistics and co-location or on-site services inside customer plants. Its materials-planning group handles procurement, supplier relations, and the tiered supplier base that feeds each module, so the automaker receives one finished assembly delivered just in time instead of managing dozens of separate components. As a Tier 1, Dakkota develops the process, the capital equipment, and the tooling for each module program itself.

Ownership and history

Dakkota was established in 2001 as a joint venture between majority partner Rush Group LLC and Magna International Inc., the global Tier 1 supplier. It is one of the largest Native American woman-owned and woman-led companies in the United States. Founder Andra Rush, who also leads The Rush Group, serves as Chairwoman; Aaron Rivers has been President and Chief Executive Officer since 2023, and Gary Caldwell is Chief Financial Officer.

The company was built in part as a training ground for people facing barriers to manufacturing careers, and it locates several plants in repurposed buildings in neighborhoods that had lost industrial jobs. Its Detroit plant, opened in 2022, occupies the site of the former Kettering High School on the city's east side. By the company's own count it employs more than 2,500 people across 14 locations in the United States and Canada. As a privately held joint venture, Dakkota does not publish audited financial statements; an estimated annual revenue band near $650 million circulates in commercial databases but is a modeled figure, not a reported one.

Certifications and quality

Dakkota runs its quality program through a Business Operating System (BOS) that holds all policies, procedures, and forms and is reviewed annually by process owners at every site. On the line, it uses integrated quality-in-station methodology, with team members trained to inspect for defects against standardized work, and Andon functionality that stops defective product from moving forward. A lessons-learned database is reviewed annually by corporate quality and fed back into revised procedures and training. Modular assembly for major automakers effectively requires IATF 16949-grade discipline, and Dakkota publishes customer-specific supplier requirements consistent with that standard, though it does not post a dated certificate on its site.

Known customers

Dakkota supplies modules and sequencing directly to automakers. Two programs are on the public record through major-outlet reporting.

Both are direct-to-OEM module programs, the kind of work where the supplier sits physically next to or inside the assembly plant. Dakkota's Windsor, Ontario operation closed in early 2024 after that parts contract moved to another supplier, a reminder that module and sequencing contracts are tied tightly to specific vehicle programs.

Sourcing evidence

Dakkota's US import record reads exactly like a module assembler's should: 183 ocean shipments since April 2015, made up of components that go into the assemblies rather than finished goods for resale. The largest inbound flows are drive-axle and differential units, automotive lighting, and safety systems, feeding the modules Dakkota builds for its OEM customers.

Thirteen foreign suppliers appear on the record. By HS chapter, the mix leads with motor-vehicle parts and accessories, dominated by drive-axles with differentials. Origin countries are led by Germany (130 shipments), then China (39), with smaller volumes from Belarus, South Korea, and the Netherlands. The most recent recorded shipment landed in September 2026.

These ocean records are a small slice of Dakkota's activity. Most of the parts it assembles arrive by truck and rail from North American suppliers, and its finished modules move to nearby assembly plants rather than through customs at all, so the import trail understates the real throughput of a plant network this size. Coverage caveats: these are US ocean-freight records only; air, truck, and rail movements do not appear; some records name freight intermediaries rather than manufacturers; and product categories come from declared manifest codes, which are noisy. Absence of a record is not evidence of absence. Buyers weighing nearshoring and tariff exposure may note that Dakkota's own inbound base still reaches into Germany and Asia even as its assembly footprint is firmly North American.

Frequently asked questions

What does Dakkota Integrated Systems make?

Dakkota is a Tier 1 modular assembler and sequencing supplier for the automotive industry. It assembles complex build-to-broadcast modules that install directly on an automaker's line, including cockpit and instrument-panel modules, overhead systems, consoles, suspension, cooling modules, tire-and-wheel, bumper-and-grille, and fascia systems, and runs material sequencing, kitting, and just-in-time logistics around them.

Who owns Dakkota Integrated Systems?

Dakkota is a joint venture between majority partner Rush Group LLC and Magna International Inc., established in 2001. It is one of the largest Native American woman-owned and woman-led companies in the United States, founded by Andra Rush of The Rush Group.

Who are Dakkota's customers?

Dakkota supplies modules and sequencing directly to automakers. Public reporting documents programs for Stellantis, whose Detroit Kettering plant builds instrument panels for the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango, and for Ford, whose Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville is served by four nearby Dakkota facilities.

Where is Dakkota Integrated Systems headquartered?

Dakkota's corporate office is at 4147 Keller Road in Holt, Michigan, near Lansing. The company operates 14 locations across the United States and Canada, including plants in Detroit, Chicago, Lansing, and the Louisville, Kentucky area.

How many employees does Dakkota have?

Dakkota reports more than 2,500 employees across its 14 US and Canadian locations. Commercial databases that model headcount from online profiles run lower, near 1,300, and tend to undercount hourly manufacturing workforces.

What is Dakkota's annual revenue?

Dakkota is a privately held joint venture and does not publish audited financials. Commercial databases estimate an annual revenue band near $650 million, but that is a modeled figure rather than a reported one.

Last verified September 27, 2026. Is this your company? Request a correction.