Meiden America Inc., the North American arm of Japanese conglomerate Meidensha Corp., has opened a powertrain test center in Northville.

The company expects to generate $2 million in sales this year, with business growing up to 30 percent in the second half of 2009, which the company says will be enough to make the operation profitable.

The 78,000-square-foot center, Meidensha’s first outside Japan, houses four cells to test engines, other powertrain components, emissions and fuel systems for automakers and suppliers. Dynamometers in the cells record horsepower, torque, speed, emissions and fuel consumption data. The performance of individual components also can be isolated.

Meiden also sells dynamometers to several automakers and suppliers in the U.S. It’s targeting $18 million in sales in the region next year and is counting on the new tech center to increase its profile here.