Hungarian automotive industry: week 23 2017 edition
Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Suzuki report on over 0.5m cars built in Hungary in 2016. Let’s recap how each individual automotive manufacturer contributed to the industry’s performance last year, and what else the 23rd week brought in Hungary´s auto sector.
Manufacturers
The three Hungarian OEMs, the Audi plant in Győr, the Mercedes-Benz plant in Kecskemét and the Esztergom-based Suzuki plant manufactured over 500,000 cars last year, planning to allocate additional portions of their profits to new investments.
Suzuki, Mercedes and Audi contributed to the sector’s output last year by 211,000, 190,000 and 123,000 units, respectively.
Each OEM was profitable in 2016: their aggregate revenues amounted to nearly €13bln, with their combined profits approximating €0.5bln before taxes.
Suppliers
Continental announced last week to open a training centre for students and their employees. Continental Automotive Hungary Kft. have announced to open a new training centre for electronics technicians in Budapest in early-September.
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The Hungarian state will support the project with a HUF 123m (€0.4m) grant.
Additive technologies are around the corner: besides plastic parts, additive technologies can be used to manufacture metal components. This will have an enormous effect on foundry work.
This is one of the most significant applications of Industry 4.0, it was revealed in an interview with Zsolt Braun (pictured below), technical director of cylinder heads manufacturer Nemak Győr Alumíniumöntöde Kft.
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Effective on 1st July, Tibor Szigeti (pictured below) has been appointed as plant director at Szombathely-based LuK Savaria Kft., the company, member of the Schaeffler group, told our site last week.
Service providers
Hungarian real wages must reach 60 percent of Western European salaries to stop Hungarian labourers looking for work abroad.
The wage increase should also bring about a boost in productivity, László Parragh, chairman of the Hungarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce, said last week.
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The business of fake automotive products is worth hundreds of millions of forints annually, and these products are also hazard for the lives those on the roads, colonel József Teleki, director of the Airport Directorate of the National Tax and Customs Administration, said last week.
Hungary is lagging behind when it comes to digital literacy. Experts have been warning for a long time, and many have gone as far as to say if there is no change in the local education system, Hungarian business will be the ones to suffer.
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Waberer’s International, one of Europe’s largest haulage and logistics companies, is preparing for a listing on the Budapest Stock Exchange, in the premium category. Additionally to offering existing shares, the company is expecting a €50m capital injection.
TechTogether
Kefo Motorsport reported on their recent activities: the Formula Student team from Pallas Athene University of Kecskemét have obtained new sponsors, and are looking to begin building their new cars in the upcoming days.
