Hungarian automotive industry: week 17
Last week the saw a week a forint, a bus festival and exhibition was held, the National Bank of Hungary came up with another unorthodox solution, fuel prices went up, unemployment rate went down and automotive investments continued.
Manufacturers
Audi was in the spotlight several times last week: The Győr-Moson-Sopron County Chamber of Commerce and Industry awarded Audi Hungaria the prize “For the County's Economy”, acknowledging its contribution to the county's economy.
According to a survey, automotive companies are popular even further away from their locations. Audi is the most popular employer in South Transdanubia. The Gyor-based company was only beaten by Mercedes-Benz in Central and Northern Hungary.
50 secondary school student girls between the age of 16 and 18 received information about carrier opportunities in the automotive industry and gained an insight into the everyday life of Audi Hungaria. The Gyor-based company has participated in this nation-wide initiative, organised by the Association of Women in Science, for the second time.
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| Getting familiar with career opportunities in the automotive industry |
On 31 December 2013, 10,337 women worked at Audi Hungaria, indicating a growing tendency. Last year, the proportion of women working in production was 5.7 percent. The proportion of women in administration was 18.8 percent and in management it was 12.7 percent.
The World Car of the Year award was given to the Audi A3, manufactured in Gyor. This is the brand's second win. In 2005, the award was won by the Audi A6. In related news, Audi Hungaria Motor Kft. signed a three-year partnership agreement with Gyori ETO FC football club.
Bus festival in Tokol
The 11th Bus Festival was held on April 24 in Tokol, Hungary. Although we did not meet Hungarian manufacturers, we talked to several companies from the sector. The government's programme to put into operation 500 new buses every year could give impetus to Hungarian bus manufacture. The budget of the programme to replace Hungary's old bus feet has been expanded to HUF 150 million.
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| The 11th Bus Festival was held in Tokol |
The most powerful, 200bhp Opel engines from Szentgotthard are now available. We tested the new engine in the Astra, the Zafira Tourer and the Cascada. The new 200bhp/147kW 1.6 SIDI Turbo engine is 11 percent more powerful (overcharged) and has 70 Nm more torque (300Nm) compared to the previous 1.6-litre overcharged petrol engine. This performance of 125bhp/litre is the highest in its segment.
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| New Opel engines from Szentgotthard |
Kecskemet College held a job fair for the 17th time. Mercedes-Benz also took part in the event.
Suppliers
Domestic vehicle manufacturing clusters are now performing better and have become Hungary's fastest developing professional groups, announced Hungarian newspaper Figyelő at a conference held last week.
Hankook Tire Hungary's latest investment was finished in Racalmas: the company expanded the plant with a new compounding machine and a production hall with an investment of HUF 2.6 billion, significantly improving the plant's efficiency as a result.
Dunaharaszti-based Schwarzmuller Kft. has carried out an innovation project in their production technology. Within the frame of the HUF 340 million project, the company bought the necessary equipment and tools for the development. The project, supported by an over HUF 90 million grant, allows the serial production of aluminium containers in various sizes and other aluminium products.
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| During the factory visit at National Instruments |
Rosenberger's Hungarian plant develops with an investment of HUF 2.6 billion. A complex investment project has started at the company's Jarokszallas plant.
Testing and quality assurance instruments manufacturer National Instruments Hungary is a supplier in several sectors, which makes them very proud, it was revealed at a factory visit at the company.
Jaguar, Honda and Audi parts are made in Ercsi as Mushashi Hungary Ipari Kft. signed three new supplier agreements. Mushashi is one of the world's largest car and motorbike parts manufacturer. The company is a market-leading shaft and gear manufacturer and a supplier of suspension and transmission systems.
Employment
In Q1 2014, the number of employed people was 4.078 million, 261,000 more than a year ago. The employment rate of people aged 15–64 increased to 60.9%, announced the Central Statistical Office.
In January–March 2014, among the 15–64 year-old male population, 2.189 million were employed, their employment rate increased by 5.5 percentage points to 67.0%. 4.5 million of employed people were aged 15–64, their employment rate was 60.9%, which was 4.3 percentage points higher than in Q1 2013.
Growth course
In April Business daily Világgazdaság's Acceleration Indicator (gyorsulási irányadó; GYIA) showed a 1.85 percent increase compared to the same period last year. GYIA shows a 0.09 percent growth compared to March, which means that the Acceleration Indicator has been positive for the 17th consecutive month. GYIA shows the country's real economic performance in a given month.
