What Voltava makes

Voltava is a value-add assembler. It builds complex modules that arrive at an automaker's line ready to install, and by its own count it produces more than 30 million modules a year. The work spans tire and wheel assembly, overhead and headliner systems, instrument panels, center consoles, and suspension modules, delivered through batch build or just-in-time sequencing. The legacy Detroit Manufacturing Systems plant on Detroit's west side, a 500,000-square-foot facility, makes instrument panels for the Ford Mustang, Explorer, F-150, and F-150 Lightning, as well as for Volvo Truck, using build-to-print assembly and injection molding.

Around the assembly work sit three supporting capabilities the company treats as core. It runs supply chain and logistics at scale, managing roughly $26 billion of inventory annually for its customers. It builds tooling and equipment in-house, which lets it adapt lines to a customer's exact specification rather than buying general-purpose stations. And it invests in automation, integrating robots and automated process control into module lines and packaging. Together these let Voltava act as what it calls a one-stop shop for automakers that want a partner to own a sub-assembly rather than manage a dozen tier-two and tier-three suppliers directly.

The customer base is heavily automotive, but the company positions itself across automotive, industrial, e-mobility and micromobility, heavy truck, government and defense, technology, and tooling and equipment design. That spread is deliberate. Bruce Smith told Crain's the 2025 combination "gives us far more capabilities for our customers. It reduces our vulnerability in a market that's really dynamic."

Scale and financing

Voltava operates at a size that few contract assemblers reach. It reports approximately 5,400 team members across 21 locations in five countries, with 19 sites in North America, one in South America, and one in Europe. Crain's Detroit Business reported the combined company would carry around $2 billion in yearly revenue. Voltava is privately held and does not publish audited financial statements, so that figure is a reported approximation rather than a filed number.

The company is not thinly capitalized. The December 2025 acquisition that created Voltava was funded through a new $450 million asset-based credit facility with Wells Fargo serving as Agent, PNC Capital Markets acting as Joint Lead Arranger, and U.S. Bank participating. Wells Fargo had previously been the sole senior lender to Detroit Manufacturing Systems. For buyers weighing supplier resilience, the scale and the committed bank facility matter more than a single revenue line, because module assembly is a capital and working-capital intensive business.

Ownership and history

Voltava was established in December 2025 when Detroit Manufacturing Systems, LLC closed its acquisition of Android Industries, LLC and Avancez, LLC. The combined entity is headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, and is wholly owned by Bruce Smith, who serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Crain's described the result as one of the largest minority-owned businesses in Michigan and in the automotive industry.

Each of the three legacy companies brought a long track record. Android Industries traces its automotive roots back more than 50 years, with a corporate founding in 1974, and was known for complex module assembly and global supply chain management. Detroit Manufacturing Systems began in 2012 as a joint venture between trucking and auto-supply entrepreneur Andra Rush and Forvia, formerly Faurecia. Smith bought out Rush's stake in 2018 and Forvia's stake in 2023, taking full control of DMS before pursuing the larger combination. Avancez was formed in 2012 by Kathryn Nichols, who had joined Android in 1994 and later served as CEO of both Android and Avancez. Nichols remains with Voltava in a leadership advisory role. The talks that led to the deal began in late 2023 and closed roughly two years later.

Where Voltava operates

Voltava runs 21 facilities. Its North American footprint is concentrated in Michigan, with the Auburn Hills headquarters plus plants in Detroit, Flint, Harper Woods, Hazel Park, Lansing, and Warren, and it extends to Arlington in Texas, Bowling Green in Kentucky, Belvidere in Illinois, and Fort Wayne in Indiana, along with Oshawa and Windsor in Ontario, Canada. Its Mexican sites include Cuautitlan Izcalli, Hermosillo, Saltillo, Silao, and Toluca. It also operates one plant in Gravatai, Brazil, and one in Sakarya, Turkey. That geography places assembly capacity next to the North American automotive corridor and the Ford, GM, and Stellantis assembly plants it serves.

Known customers

Voltava's customer relationships are documented in major-outlet reporting on the 2025 combination.

These four are the OEM relationships confirmed on the public record. As a value-add assembler working inside automakers' own plants, Voltava's specific programs are largely governed by customer confidentiality, so the named list understates the full book.

Sourcing evidence

Because Voltava is new, its inbound customs footprint still sits under the three legacy importer entities rather than a single Voltava account. The largest matched record belongs to Android Industries, with 654 US sea-import shipments and a most recent arrival on August 27, 2026. Avancez shows 48 shipments with a most recent arrival on September 15, 2026, and Detroit Manufacturing Systems shows a small direct-import record.

The inbound mix reads the way an assembler's should. Michelin tires and Metzeler foam feed wheel, tire, and acoustic modules; ZF, Iljin, and Yokowo feed driveline, wheel-bearing, and electronic sub-assemblies; LG Electronics feeds cockpit electronics. These are components arriving to be sequenced and built into finished modules, not finished goods for resale. Coverage caveats apply: these are US ocean-freight records only, so air, truck, and rail flows and most cross-border North American movement do not appear, some records name freight intermediaries rather than the manufacturer, 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 will note that most of Voltava's own capacity already sits inside the US, Canada, and Mexico.

Frequently asked questions

What does Voltava make?

Voltava is a value-add assembler that builds complex automotive modules, including tire and wheel assemblies, overhead and headliner systems, instrument panels, center consoles, and suspension modules. It delivers them through just-in-time sequencing or batch build and reports producing more than 30 million modules a year. It also runs large-scale supply chain and logistics, in-house tooling and equipment design, and automation engineering.

Who owns Voltava?

Voltava is privately held and wholly owned by Bruce Smith, who serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. It was formed in December 2025 when his company, Detroit Manufacturing Systems, acquired Android Industries and Avancez. Crain's described it as one of the largest minority-owned businesses in Michigan and in the automotive industry.

Who are Voltava's customers?

Ford, General Motors, Stellantis, and Volvo Trucks are documented in reporting on the 2025 combination. The legacy Detroit plant makes instrument panels for several Ford models, while the Android and Avancez operations have long supplied GM with overhead systems, tire and wheel assembly, center consoles, and suspension modules.

Where is Voltava headquartered?

Voltava is headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, at 2155 Executive Hills Blvd. It operates 21 facilities in five countries, with 19 sites across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, one in Brazil, and one in Turkey.

How big is Voltava?

Voltava reports approximately 5,400 team members across 21 global locations. Crain's Detroit Business reported the combined company would carry around $2 billion in annual revenue, though the company is private and does not publish audited financials. The December 2025 acquisition was backed by a $450 million asset-based credit facility led by Wells Fargo.

What companies formed Voltava?

Voltava was created from three legacy automotive suppliers: Detroit Manufacturing Systems, founded in 2012 as a Rush Group and Faurecia joint venture; Android Industries, with automotive roots dating back more than 50 years and a 1974 founding; and Avancez, formed in 2012 by Kathryn Nichols. DMS was the acquiring company, and all three now operate under the Voltava brand.

Last verified September 28, 2026. Is this your company? Request a correction.