Armed security officers for the French multinational auto supply giant Forvia forced their way into a Mexican industrial park and seized equipment at the center of a legal dispute.
The Forvia officers were acting under the authority of a judicial order that reversed a previous one that sought to prevent removal of the equipment pending resolution of the dispute.
CincoRadio.com reported the incident Monday Feb. 25 at the facility of Cormaplast, a molded plastic parts maker in the state of Puebla, 75 miles southeast of Mexico City. It said company workers were "forcibly removed" from their own facility and were "attacked by individuals," posting video allegedly of the attack.
A day later, Cormaplast workers staged a demonstration on the Mexico-Pueba Highway, protesting the judicial order and accusing Forvia of corruption.
A Dec. 15 complaint by Cormaplast filed with the prosecutor's office in Puebla accusing Forvia of corruption and tortious interference.
It alleges that Forvia executives threatened to terminate the company’s contract with Cormaplast unless it agreed to merge with Decatur Plastic Products, a competitor based in North Vernon, Indiana.
Cormaplast, which produces and exports molded plastic parts and specializes in auto assembly, has been a subcontractor to Forvia since 2012. The company has 400 employees and was founded in 1998.
Forvia, the world’s seventh-largest auto parts maker, counts Ford, General Motors and Stellantis as its largest North American customers. In 2022, Reuters reported Forvia’s North American sales were about $650 million per year.