Hungarian automotive industry: week 21
Networking, Industry 4.0, automotive fairs – week 21 brought the Industry Days trade fair, a four-day event bringing together the players of the automotive sector, lining them up both as exhibitors and visitors.
Industry Days
Autopro took part in the event held at Hungexpo that offered meeting place for the most prominent players of the industry as well as a platform to address the challenges of skills shortages, a highly important issue that characterizes the local industry.
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Once again we held the student competition called TechTogether for engineer students, where participating companies had the opportunity to meet the most talented of future engineers. This year's event was won by Kefo Motorsport III from Kecskemét College, followed by the team from the University of Debrecen and Arrabona Racing Team from Győr.
We also made interviews with representatives of several exhibitors. Intergavel CEO Csaba Kocsis sat down with us to talk about the company’s activities. Intergavel is the only company in Hungary to be engaged in the auctioning of used industrial equipment.
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| Intergavel CEO Csaba Kocsis |
We also reported on the awards handed out during the course of the event by the Scientific Society of Mechanical Engineering (GTE).
Suppliers
Yanfeng Automotive Interiors (YFAI) announced at the end of April that they are investing €24 million to purchase new equipment and hire more staffers. We interviewed CEO József Vallyon to tell us about the details of the project.
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Téglás-based Hajdu Autotechnika Ipar Zrt. is a manufacturer engaged in sheet metal formation and fabrication for automotive applications such as the manufacture of exhaust systems and seats. CEO Anna Novotni told us about the challenges of the sector.
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| Hadju Autotechnika CEO Anna Novotni |
Tier 1 supplier Bosch Hungary held a press conference, where it announced that in 2015 the company achieved a two-digit growth in all areas of its Hungarian activities.
The British Embassy´s Trade Development Section is awaiting the application of automotive suppliers and parts retailers who are interested in participating in an automotive trade fair in the United Kingdom.
Automechanika Birmingham is set to be held for the first time on 7–9 June 2016.
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| Bosch reports on record-breaking results for 2015 business year |
LuK Savaria workers called off a potential strike following a successful agreement with the management. 10 percent average increase in wages, supplements, collective agreement with employees – these are some of details of the agreement the LuK Savaria management managed to conclude with the employees.
Production line
The Hungarian subsidiary of rear-view mirror manufacturer SMR (Samvardhana Motherson Reflectec), member of the Samvardhana Motherson Group, has been acknowledged with yet another award. SMR Hungary Bt. won two awards at the Factory of the Year event.
Kecskemét-based Mercedes-Benz plant sets yet another record in manufacturing: Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing Hungary set a new record in 2015, as production volume increased by 20 percent from the previous year to 180,000 units, and thus the German car maker’s Hungarian subsidiary booked €65 million in profits.
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| Yet another year of records at Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing Hungary |
TechTogether
Year after year, Claas, a manufacturer of agricultural machinery, holds a student competition where teams have to build man-powered combined harvesters to compete against one another.
During the “harvest”, the vehicles must be able to separate small cubes from tennis balls. This year's winners were SZElektálók Team from Széchenyi István University of Győr after winning bronze in the previous year.
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| Combined harvesters built by university teams compete at Claas-organized race |
Shell Eco-marathon Europe, an international competition for energy efficient vehicles, will be held on 30th June in London.
Participating teams must build a vehicle that is capable of covering the longest distance with a single litre of fuel.
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| SZEnergy Team hard at work to prepare for this year's Shell Eco-marathon Europe |
Several Hungarian teams are currently preparing for the event. This week we interviewed the team from Széchenyi István University of Győr.
We sat down with Zoltán Zámbó, team captain of SZEnergy Team, who said the vehicle for this year's race will feature all-new wheels, suspension, telemetry system, driver assists and a significant part of the electronics, thanks to the support of Research Center of Vehicle Industry.
