Hungarian automotive industry: week 16
The Hungarian supplier industry has seen a remarkably active period, bringing along new jobs, new equipment and significant investments. Let´s recap what week 16 brought in Hungary´s automotive sector.
Manufacturers
Last week, we tried the newest Hungarian-built electric bus, expected to enter operation on 30th April. Modulo will deploy four emissions-free midi buses in the city of Budapest.
 |
Suppliers
Last week, we interviewed András Nánássy, the HR director of Continental Automotive Hungary Kft.
Nánássy said companies that want to stay competitive must break with traditional human resources strategies.
We also sat down with ThyssenKrupp Ferroglobus CEO Zoltán Petró to discuss the acquisition of the Győr-based site of metal producer Ib Andresen.
Petró said the acquisition of Ib Andresen will most likely have an effect in the automotive supplier market.
 |
| András Nánássy |
The acquisition has also received green light from the Hungarian Competition Office (GVH), who found that the deal will not have an adverse affect on the market.
The location in Győr has excellent logistics value and its accessibility via road, railway and waterway allows the company to supply its automotive partners in the domestic as well as Eastern European region, paving the way for further growth on the market.
Eagle Ottawa's new, nearly 17,000 sqm production hall will create 800 jobs in Szolnok. The company's new cutting shop employs over 1,400 people, with the company's total headcount in Szolnok exceeding 2,000 employees.
 |
| Eagle Ottawa expands in Szolnok |
Germany-based ThyssenKrupp celebrated the ground-breaking ceremony of its new plant last week in Jászfényszaru.
The greenfield investment will establish new integrated camshafts and steering system capacities in Jászfényszaru. Hungary is playing a crucial role in the company's long-term investment strategy, and the group has plans for further investments in the country.
The Hungarian subsidiary of Germany-based wheel disk manufacturer Otto Fuchs Group will invest €42 million in its Tatabánya plant, doubling the location's annual production capacity to 2 million aluminium wheel disks by the end of this year, it was announced last week.
Last week, the Hungarian government signed a strategic partnership agreement with Budapest-based navigation systems developer NNG.
According to NNG, this step means the company will not be looking for cheaper labour force elsewhere but keep developing in Hungary.
 |
| Hungarian gov't signs strategic partnership agreement with NNG |
It was reported last week that Siemens and Valeo have plans to launch a joint venture to manufacture electric drive systems.
A joint venture by the German and the French manufacturers will build powertrains for electric and hybrid vehicles, and the duo have made an announcement to establish a site in Hungary
Mechanical components supplier Fastron Hungária announced last week to build a 4,500 sqm production hall, creating 60–80 jobs within a year.
Fastron CEO Károly Mayer said the new production hall will increase the existing production area by one third. The production site is expected to be handed over by the end of September.
Csabacast Kft. is expecting a HUF 20 billion revenue increase thanks to a new development project.
A new investment by the company is set to create a new production site on a floor area of 15,000 sqm in just ten months, expected to double production capacity and to be fully equipped by 2017.
 |
In addition, the investment is expected to create 130 jobs in Heves county in the next two years. The company currently has 250 employees.
Production line
Electric aircrafts developed in Kecskemét. Mass production for Kecskemét-based Magnus Aircraft's two-seater is set to begin in 2017 after the first test flights.
Andréka Domonkos, the company's communications director, said development costs for the eFusion aircraft, powered by an electric motor built and supplied by Siemens, have amounted to €1 million.
Development is set to continue with efforts to double the current one-hour uptime to several hours. In the long-term, the company has plans to unveil Rotax-powered variant.
 |
| Electric-powered aircraft developed in Kecskemét |
TechTogether
Proactive approach, exciting activities and more and more challenging questions – these were the highlights from the TechTogether Junior Győr event held two weeks ago.
Even smaller teams from primary schools came prepared and tried to take advantage of the event's career orientation activities.
