What Bosal International North America makes

Bosal International North America is the North American arm of the Bosal Group, a family-owned maker of exhaust and emission control systems founded in the Netherlands in 1923. In North America the company designs, tests, and builds original-equipment (OE) exhaust systems and catalytic converters for passenger and light commercial vehicles, plus the related welded metal components that go into them. Its Ypsilanti, Michigan plant runs cutting, welding, and forming cells to turn aluminized and stainless steel into hot-end and cold-end emission control systems built to each OEM's original design.

The North American operation sits inside a broader group product line. Group-wide, Bosal works across four segments: Powertrain (the emission control and exhaust business that anchors the US plant), Chassis (towbars, fuel tanks, air pressure vessels, and seat-frame sub-assemblies), Energy (high-performance heat exchangers, including designs for solid oxide fuel cells and electrolysers), and Packaging Solutions. The North American footprint concentrates on the powertrain and exhaust work, supported by an on-site technical center for development and testing. Bosal supplies both the OEM channel and the independent aftermarket, and describes an eight-week development cycle for aftermarket exhaust programs.

Ownership and history

The Bosal Group was founded in 1923 by Karel Bos as an auto-parts distributorship in the Netherlands. It grew into a global exhaust and emission-systems manufacturer and today is a Dutch-registered, family-owned company headquartered in Lummen, Belgium. The group reports roughly 2,500 employees across about 16 to 17 industrial sites, 7 R&D centers, and 12 distribution centres worldwide, with a footprint stretching across Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia.

Bosal's current North American plant opened in Ypsilanti, Michigan in 2008. The $25 million, 183,000-square-foot headquarters and manufacturing facility was built in about 15 months on a 40-acre site, and it consolidated two earlier Detroit-area operations: a production site in Warren and a technical center in Ann Arbor. The plant was located close to the technical and manufacturing headquarters of major Detroit-area customers. The Ypsilanti site later added capacity for General Motors exhaust programs. As with most mature Tier 1 and Tier 2 exhaust suppliers, the North American plant's headcount has moved with its program book over time; the operation combined roughly 150 transferred employees at opening and has run at a smaller level in more recent years.

Certifications and quality

Bosal states that its aftermarket manufacturing is accredited to ISO/TS 16949, the automotive quality-management standard that has since been succeeded by IATF 16949. Multi-site automotive quality certification of this kind is the sector norm for exhaust and emission-systems suppliers serving OEM programs. The North American entity is described in industry directories as ISO certified. Bosal reports that all of its exhaust products are built from the original OEM design for guaranteed fitment, that emission control systems are individually type-approved, and that no welds sit inside the silencer, a construction detail the company highlights for durability. These are the company's own published claims; a current dated North American certificate was not located for this profile.

Known customers

Bosal North America's OEM relationships are documented mainly through trade coverage of its Ypsilanti plant and program awards. The programs below reflect the plant's documented history; exhaust programs turn over as vehicle models are replaced.

Group-wide, Bosal describes its customer base as all leading global vehicle manufacturers plus major aftermarket and industrial distributors. On-page here, only the North American programs with public evidence are named.

Sourcing evidence

Bosal's North American import record matches an emission-systems manufacturer rather than a pure distributor. The primary US importer of record, Bosal Industries Georgia at the Ypsilanti address, shows 772 recorded sea shipments, with its most recent recorded shipment in April 2025. Its foreign suppliers include Tenneco Suzhou (a division of a major global emission-systems maker), Kinrom Industries, Autogem Invicta, and Orderbid International Group, the kind of exhaust, catalytic, and fittings componentry an assembler of exhaust systems would bring in.

A separate related entity, Bosal Mexico De, remained active into September 2026, pulling stainless tube and flexible-component parts from European mills including Tubificio di Terni and Ugitech. That cross-border pattern, US and Mexican import lanes feeding the same product family, is relevant to buyers weighing nearshoring and North American exhaust sourcing.

Coverage caveats: these are US import bill-of-lading records only. Air, truck, and rail movements, including most US-Mexico cross-border flows, do not appear; some records name freight intermediaries rather than manufacturers; and product categories come from declared manifest codes, which are noisy. Absence of a record is not evidence of absence.

Frequently asked questions

What does Bosal International North America make?

Bosal International North America makes original-equipment exhaust and emission control systems and catalytic converters for passenger and light commercial vehicles, along with the welded metal components that go into them. The work is done at its Ypsilanti, Michigan plant through cutting, welding, and forming of aluminized and stainless steel. It is the North American arm of the Bosal Group's powertrain business.

Who owns Bosal?

Bosal is a family-owned company. The Bosal Group was founded in 1923 by Karel Bos in the Netherlands and is a Dutch-registered company headquartered in Lummen, Belgium. Bosal International North America is its North American operating arm.

Where is Bosal North America located?

Bosal International North America's headquarters and manufacturing plant is at 1476 Seaver Way in Ypsilanti, Michigan (Ypsilanti Township, Washtenaw County). The 183,000-square-foot facility opened in 2008 on a 40-acre site and consolidated earlier Bosal operations in Warren and Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Who are Bosal North America's customers?

Bosal's documented North American OEM programs include General Motors (Chevrolet Cruze and Buick Verano exhaust systems) and Chrysler/Jeep (the JK Jeep Wrangler), with Toyota named among the key customers the Ypsilanti plant was sited to serve. Exhaust programs turn over as vehicle models change, so the named programs reflect the plant's documented history.

How big is the Bosal Group?

The Bosal Group reports roughly 2,500 employees across about 16 to 17 industrial sites, 7 R&D centers, and 12 distribution centres worldwide. It operates across four segments: Powertrain, Chassis, Energy, and Packaging Solutions. North American headcount at the Ypsilanti plant is smaller and is not separately published as an audited figure.

What certifications does Bosal hold?

Bosal states that its manufacturing is accredited to the automotive quality-management standard ISO/TS 16949, now succeeded by IATF 16949, and its North American entity is described as ISO certified in industry directories. The company also reports that its exhaust products are built to the original OEM design and that emission control systems are individually type-approved. These are the company's own published claims.

Last verified September 27, 2026. Is this your company? Request a correction.