Hungarian automotive industry: week 20
Epcos awards employees, Mercedes-Benz Kecskemét prepares for the production of new models, Austrian electronics manufacturer expands in Győr. Let’s recap what week 20 brought in Hungary’s automotive sector.
Manufacturers
We interviewed the CEO of Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing Hungary on the company’s latest HUF 185 billion investment in Kecskemét and the factory’s future plans. Christian Wolff confirmed that the plant is currently preparing for the production of additional models.
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| Christian Wolff, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing Hungary Kft. |
Suppliers
Szombathely-based Epcos awarded its employees with acknowledgements and bonuses. A quarter of the electronics manufacturer’s staffers have been at the company for over a decade.
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| Epcos awards long-term employees with prizes, bonuses |
MELECS, an Austria-based manufacturer of electronics products, has expanded its production site in Győr by 1,500 sqm, preparing the manufacturing location for the production of LED rear lights for automotive applications.
Initially, the company manufactured electronic components for household appliances, and then in 2013, MELECS began supplying the automotive industry with tachographs. The Győr-based site of the Austrian company manufactures 15 million electronics components annually, to be boosted by 30 percent thanks to the investment.
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| MELECS expands in Győr |
Shifting focus from 110V systems to 48V solutions, supplier giant Continental has developed a 48V technology that can be used as original equipment as well as aftermarket fitment, capable of achieving up to 20 percent increase in fuel economy.
Radically reduced fuel consumption, lightweight battery, coasting mode – we tested Continental’s latest EcoDrive hybrid system in Budapest.
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| Continental presentds EcoDrive hybrid system in Budapest |
Service providers
The Association of Hungarian Automotive Industry (AHAI), an organization with five workgroups addressing the local challenges of the automotive sector, held a general meeting this week to elect a new leadership.
Sándor Vincze-Pap, chairman of the Association of Hungarian Bus and Coach Manufacturers, said last week that the Hungarian bus industry would benefit more from predictable, dynamically growing order volumes instead of the low-scale procurements characterizing the industry today.
Currently, the regional bus service fleet consists of 5,600 vehicles, including only 1,500 newly produced Hungarian buses.
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| Sándor Vincze-Pap, chairman of the Association of Hungarian Bus and Coach Manufacturers |
Last week, we looked at the challenges domestic steel producers have to face. The crisis in European steel manufacturing has also reached Hungarian firms – local producers of raw materials and domestic subsidiaries of European steelworks are forced to survive in a climate characterized by falling prices.
Education
ELTE University has been reported to have plans to take over certain faculties of the Szombathely arm of the Univeristy of West Hungary as part of an attempt by Savaria University Center to break away from UWH.
A participant of Hungary’s dual educational programme, Savaria Center is currently in talks with the noted Budapest-based university.
Trend
A new test track for self-driving cars was announced to be built in Zalaegerszeg, it was announced last week at a conference on the future of motoring.
According to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, the large-scale investment in Zala to build a new test track will allow for the testing of driver-less cars in artificial conditions, contributing to bringing us closer the latest innovations in mobility and allowing Hungary to profit from the era of digital transfer.
