Hungarian automotive industry: week 27
A critical look at Hungary’s labour market, new investments and roaring engine production. Let’s recap what week 27 brought in Hungary’s automotive sector.
Manufacturers
Grzegorz Buchal, CEO of Opel Szentgotthárd, said the plant is planning to manufacture 650,000 engines this year, ramping up to supply engines for 60–70 percent of all Opel cars sold on the European market.
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| Grzegorz Buchal |
Suppliers
Initially, Melecs Hungary was engaged in the manufacturing of electronic components for household appliances, and then in 2013, the company began supplying the automotive industry with tachographs.
In an interview with Autopro, Melecs CEO spoke about the details of the company’s latest investment that will bring the serial production of LED lights for the BMW 5-series to Győr.
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| Automotive supplier Melecs expands in Győr |
Although until recently, automotive metalworking group Sona only had manufacturing locations in India, the U.S. and Germany, the company has now decided to build a plant in Polgár, Hajdú-Bihar county, with a HUF 4.2 billion (€14 million) investment.
Antolin Hungary Kft. has also expanded and built a new production hall in Helvécia, near Kecskemét, with a HUF 5.5 billion (€17.8 million) investment.
Rába has signed a five-year agreement with Sojitz Corporation to continue to supply axle modules and main axle components for the Japanese OEM market.
Rába will supply different axle solutions for thousands of medium-duty vehicles designed for goods transporting and special low-floor buses. Both product families have been designed and tailor made by Rába to meet the requirements of the Japanese market.
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| Freudenberg hands over expanded production hall in Kecskemét |
Sealing systems manufacturer Freudenberg Sealing Technologies has handed over its new production hall, expanded to 6,000 sqm with a €4 million investment and creating 75 jobs.
Service providers
Hungary in need of 250,000 migrant workers? The Confederation of Hungarian Employers and Industrialists has drafted proposals to address the critical issue of skills shortage in Hungary.
They highlighted that due to the lower number of births in recent decades (206,000 in 1953, 124,000 in 1998), the number of entries to the labour market is significantly lower than those retiring, a tendency unlikely to change in the years to come.
The international mobility of the younger generation has also increased, while mobility within the country falls short of expectations. A boost in Hungary’s economy also demands an increased number of skilled professionals.
The Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency (HIPA) announced last week that six new investors have chosen Hungary this year, while it also reported on 32 reinvestment projects. This means the vast majority of businesses is in favour of Hungary’s economic environment.
Vehicle production is still dominating the industry by attracting 15 investment projects out of the 38, while it is also in leading position in terms of number of jobs and the investment capital.
Ilona Dávid, the CEO and president of Hungarian railway transport company MÁV, has been elected as president of Hungrail, the Hungarian Rail Association.
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| Ilona Dávid |
Rudolf Kálmán, mathematician and electrical engineer, a pioneer of the modern system theory and the inventor of the Kálmán filter, passed away at the age of 86 on 2nd July.
TechTogether
Shell Eco-marathon Europe was held at the first weekend of July, allowing SZEnergy Team to test their effort developed and built in the last 12 months. The Győr-based team finished in third position in the Urban Concept/Battery Electric category.
The last day of June marked an important milestone for Arrabona Racing Team from Győr: the team showcased their racing car set to compete at Formula Student Germany as the sole Hungarian contender.
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| SZEnergy Team bring back siver medal from London |
Production line
Industry 4.0 is a concept that is hard to grasp or materialize. Géza Haidegger, a chief associate of the Hungarian Scientific Academy, gives an explanation using concepts such as zero-fault production, optimal production processes and workflow, integrated materials and information flow management.
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| Arrabona Racing Team unveil their latest racing car |
