STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich., Aug. 27 (UPI) -- BAE Systems has announced the opening of the first facility on its new 81-acre campus in Sterling Heights, Mich.
The design and prototyping center is part of a five-year, $58.4 million initiative that, when completed next year, will include a renovated test track and a four-story office building.
"One of our most important company values is customer focus. This center will allow us to be in close proximity to our customer -- a key component in further developing an ongoing, collaborative working relationship that supports the design, development and manufacture of equipment that will help ensure the safety and mission success of warfighters," said Joe McCarthy, vice president and general manager of Heavy Brigade Combat Team Systems at BAE Systems and Sterling Heights Site Executive.
"With this center we can address future vehicle modernization by rapidly integrating capabilities into combat systems while improving time-to-market factors, while also reducing costs for our customer."
The company said the new center will house more than a dozen assembly bays for vehicle and subsystem modifications, integration and testing, in addition to a host of integral supporting labs and facilities that will provide electrical assembly fabrication, software development and system integration of vehicle control and crew station electronics.
The center will also support other company programs including Bradley Fighting Vehicle and Bradley derivatives, M88, M113 family of vehicles, M109 family of vehicles including the Paladin Integrated Management vehicle, Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, Medium Mine Protected Vehicle and Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle.
When completed, the site will total 198,000 square feet on 81 acres, the company said.
