DETROIT – A Ferndale business is planning major expansion by moving to Detroit.
For years, Detroit Axle has cranked out automotive components from its facility in Ferndale. As demand grows, company leaders want to make a major expansion to Detroit.
The company started in 1990 with a five-man shop near the Rouge Plant in Dearborn. CEO Mike Musheinesh said he and his father's aftermarket parts operation moved to Detroit to serve mechanic shops, dealerships and do-it-yourself workers.
When the downturn hit, Detroit Axle prospered, Musheinesh said.
"I have a younger brother who is a very creative kid and he's the one who suggested we start selling products online," Musheinesh said.
The website took the business global, and Detroit Axle now employs 150 people after expanding in the spring of 2017. Musheinesh said he loves Ferndale, but the company is bursting at the seams again.
"They have just been outstanding," Musheinesh said. "Ferndale really can't accommodate our growth. (There's) not much land left here for our expansion."
Musheinesh said his company operates with no debt, and he's looking to finance his own construction.
"Our name is Detroit Axle," Musheinesh said. "Our workforce is Detroit -- 80 percent Detroit."
He's looking across Eight Mile Road for the company's next home.
"The ability of getting products all over the world are built upon Detroit, the people that work to build this city," Musheinesh said. "So why not move back home?"
Musheinesh met Thursday afternoon with the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation to see if there is a deal to be made to return to the city.