YOUR PATHWAY TO GLOBAL SUCCESS

Southeast MichiganWhere Global Businesses Come to Grow

Automation Alley Is Your First Step Automation Alley is Michigan’s largest technology business association and a dynamic hub for worldwide opportunities. For companies considering new markets in Southeast Michigan, Automation Alley’s International Business Services (IBS) provides a team of dedicated experts to help you:

• Explore investment and expansion opportunities in the region

• Set up a business address in our complimentary office space, with access to the region’s business and government leaders

• Put our state-of-the-art technologies and other valuable resources to work for your business, including our:

- Collaboration Center, featuring high-tech communications equipment

- Video Conference Center, providing a high-definition videoconferencing system for virtual meetings with partners, clients and contacts around the world

- Private Multimedia Office, enabling access to a portable camera and independent workspace

- Executive Board Room, providing state-of-the-art presentation equipment and space for executive-style meetings

- Complete work environment, featuring laptop worktables, mobile office furniture, collaboration space and other business resources

In 2012, Automation Alley was awarded the National Business Incubation Association’s Soft Landings International Incubator designation. The NBIA designation is given to organizations with specialized programs or facilities that help companies break into new markets. Automation Alley joined the ranks of only 24 other business incubation programs from around the world that had earned the designation since NBIA began the program in 2005.

Video Conference Center

Executive Board Room

ABOUT THE COMPANY: ED USA, Corp. is a firm of ED GROUP (ED Design, GEAS and HEXAcom). The group provides engineering services and produces test systems for validation, simulation, reliability and end-of-line production for electronics modules — including ECU, BCM, ignition and ABS — and electrical and electronic components — including panel controls, sensors and wire harnesses. To assist in the design and qualification process for electronic modules, ED GROUP has designed DiNAMITe, the Diagnostic Network Automatic Measurement for Integrated Tests. The Fiat Group and all its suppliers for electronics modules have adopted DiNAMITe as their official tool for validation.

AUTOMATION ALLEY CONNECTION: ED USA, Corp. used Automation Alley’s International Business Center as a soft landing space while exploring Southeast Michigan as a location for its U.S. presence. In addition to temporary space, ED USA, Corp. utilized Automation Alley staff and services to identify potential partners and local resources.

BUSINESS OUTCOME: “This is the best way to introduce our company here. It’s the right solution for a foreign company to better understand the American market style because it’s different than in Europe.”

— Riccardo Benzio, CEO

SUCCESS STORY:

ED USA, Corp. (Italy)

Collaboration Center

Video Conference Center

Why Michigan?Southeast Michigan, home to Automation Alley, is a high-tech powerhouse and global center of innovation in the areas of advanced manufacturing; defense and national security; life sciences; clean tech and renewable energy; and information technology, among others.

Businesses in these and other industries are thriving in Southeast Michigan, thanks to unrivaled advantages. The region is:

• Within driving distance of 40 percent of the total gross domestic product in the United States

• Centrally located in North America, with easy access to other key business centers and close proximity to Canada

• Home to a talented workforce and the world leader in design, engineering and manufacturing

• Known as the battery capital of the world

• A worldwide leader in robotics technologies and home to America’s defense corridor

• Comprised of residents and employees of diverse cultural backgrounds

Overall, the state of Michigan offers distinct benefits:

• Michigan ranks as one of the top states in the nation for industrial research and development spending — $16.7 billion annually.

• The Great Lakes are a large source of wind energy and contain 20 percent of the world’s total fresh water — the second-largest supply in the world.

• Michigan is home to one of the world’s most competitive economies. Providing access to more than 300 million consumers across the U.S., Michigan offers enormous potential for foreign businesses wishing to expand their reach.

• Michigan has 15 public universities; 45 independent universities and colleges; and 30 community colleges, resulting in more than 96,000 college degrees and nearly 1,500 Ph.D.s granted every year in the state — nearly twice the national average.

• United States’ free trade agreement with Canada and Mexico (NAFTA) provides businesses with access to a market of 463 million consumers.

A U T O M A T I O N A L L E Y

Michigan companies and

universities file more than 3,000

patents a year, leading the U.S.

Patent and Trademark Office to

select Detroit as the location of

its first satellite office.

I N T E R N A T I O N A L B U S I N E S S S E R V I C E S

11 hrs

9 hrs

3 hrs

5 hrs 2 h

rs

Driving Times Dayton, Ohio: 2 hoursGrand Rapids, Michigan: 3 hoursChicago, Illinois: 5 hoursPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania: 9 hoursNew York, New York: 11 hours

Within driving distance of

40% of the total gross domestic product in the United States

ABOUT THE COMPANY: Sunlogics PLC is a vertically integrated global solar energy systems provider specializing in solar project development and installation. The scope of the company’s operations includes Canada, the United States, Europe and China.

AUTOMATION ALLEY CONNECTION: Sunlogics PLC used the International Business Center as a soft landing space while exploring Southeast Michigan as a possible location for its U.S. presence. In addition to temporary space, Sunlogics utilized Automation Alley staff and services to identify potential partners and local resources.

BUSINESS OUTCOME: “I think the whole concept of the facility that [Automation Alley has] created is very imaginative and very useful for people who are coming here and don’t have a place to call home. The services are right on track with what the companies need when they come here.”

— Kamesh Gupta, Former Vice President of Strategic Initiatives

SUCCESS STORY:

Sunlogics PLC (Canada)

DAYTONPHILADELPHIA

NEW YORK

CHICAGO

GRAND RAPIDS

A U T O M A T I O N A L L E Y

Discover a Great Place to LocateSoutheast Michigan offers an unparalleled quality of life for residents, visitors and businesses alike.

EDUCATION: The region’s elementary and secondary education system featuring science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) initiatives; International Baccalaureate programs; schools with overseas compatibility programs; and renowned private schools.

FOUR SEASONS: Southeast Michigan features natural beauty and four glorious seasons that enable a diverse selection of outdoor experiences, ranging from skiing and hiking to boating and camping.

HOUSING: Residential communities in Southeast Michigan accommodate diverse housing preferences, from rural, country living in quiet surroundings to modern homes in bustling downtowns.

CULTURAL ATTRACTIONS: Southeast Michigan’s cultural opportunities cover a wide spectrum of tastes and activities, including museums, concert venues, theaters, restaurants, casinos and professional sports teams, among others.

ABOUT THE COMPANY: Stola Engineering North America is a newly formed corporation, a subsidiary of Stola Engineering, which is a world leader in automotive engineering and a historical supplier of the Fiat Group. The company was founded in 1919 in Rivoli and then acquired in 2004 by RGZ Group, a pool of shareholders headquartered in Rivoli. While at the beginning Stola was mainly dedicated to the production of style models and concept cars, nowadays it can cover a wide range of activities for car manufacturing, from concept to production, such as product engineering, equipment manufacturing (cubing, gauges and meisterbock), prototyping, sheet metal stamping and BIW production, as well as supervision of any supplier appointed by the customer. With operative centers located all over the world, Stola Group has created a real network of specialized companies able to provide a complete and highly professional service.

AUTOMATION ALLEY CONNECTION: Stola NA used the International Business Center as a soft landing space while exploring Southeast Michigan as a possible location for its U.S. presence. In addition to temporary space, Stola NA utilized Automation Alley staff and services to identify potential partners and local resources.

BUSINESS OUTCOME: “Having our temporary office here has helped us gain a better understanding of and appreciation for the opportunities that the Detroit market offers. The staff has been extremely helpful in contributing to our company’s success in Michigan.”

— Marco Adriano, Operations Manager

I N T E R N A T I O N A L B U S I N E S S S E R V I C E S

SUCCESS STORY:

Stola Engineering North America (Italy)

Keep Pace with the Global Business World Your global business opportunity awaits you in Southeast Michigan. Automation Alley International Business Services will provide you with the resources to assure your success.

For more information, call 800-427-5100 or email info@automationalley.com.

AUTOMATIONALLEY.COM

Project funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development.