Chinese company CITIC Dicastal Group, a world leader specializing in aluminum casting and the production of aluminum automotive parts, opened its third automotive parts factory in Morocco on Wednesday in Kenitra, the company announced.
The opening of the new “DMC-Dika Morocco Castings” plant coincides with the five-year anniversary of the company’s operation in Morocco, the ten-year launch of China’s “Belt and Road” initiative, of which the Dicastal Morocco project is a part, as well as 65 years of Sino-Moroccan diplomatic relations.
The new 20,000 m² factory was built on an area of 40,000 m² with an investment of approximately 180 million euros. The factory has an annual production capacity of 5 million units, 90% of which are destined for export, mainly to Europe and the United States.
The project will help create 1,000 new direct jobs in Morocco.
Vice President and General Manager of Dicastal Morocco Africa Badr Lahmoud said that this new facility is designed to produce aluminum cast components for car engine blocks and chassis.
Lahmoudi told MAP that the opening of the new plant is the first phase of this project, which has created 450 jobs to date, and the number is expected to double after completion of the second phase.
Powered by green energy, the CITIC Dicastal industrial complex in Morocco is part of a “global environmental project, intending to leave a sustainable legacy for future generations,” he said. A high-voltage station has also been built to increase energy efficiency and promote the use of renewable energy.
Secretary General of Morocco’s Ministry of Industry and Trade Taoufiq Moucharraf welcomed the inauguration of the group’s third industrial plant, which he said demonstrates investors’ “renewed confidence” in Morocco’s industrial platform.
In addition to the production of aluminum cast components for engine blocks and chassis, Dika Morocco Castings – DMC will also produce a variety of products that will increase the added value of the automotive industry in Morocco.
Dicastal’s first two factories in Kenitra inaugurated in 2019 and 2020, produce only aluminum wheel rims. Together, the two plants operating at full capacity produce 6 million rims per year and employ 1400 workers, with a total investment of 350 million MAD.