Hungarian automotive industry: week 39 2019 edition
MAJOSZ relocates headquarters to ZalaZone. Mol partners up with thyssenkrupp in HUF 1.2 billion polyol project. Kirchhoff expands, becomes supplier of Mercedes-Benz. Let’s recap what last week brought in Hungary’s automotive sector.
Fox Automotive Switzerland and Phoenix Gold Resources have announced to launch the production of their new MIA 2.0 electric car in Komárom.
Construction works at BMW’s new manufacturing plant are set to begin after the car maker’s management, government and city representatives successfully signed the plot’s sale and purchase agreement last week.
N-ferrum Kft. has inaugurated a HUF 230 million project in Nagykanizsa, which involved the construction of a new production hall and modernizing machinery.
Automotive body panels manufacturer Kirchhoff Hungária Kft. has expanded its plant in Esztergom with a nearly HUF 5 billion investment, preparing it to become a supplier of Mercedes-Benz. At the inauguration ceremony the company also celebrated the 15th anniversary of its operation launch in Hungary.
Mol has found a partner in thyssenkrupp for its polyol project. At the foundation-stone laying ceremony held last week, the company announced to carry out the HUF 1.2 billion project in partnership with thyssenkrupp.
The SIAD Group has build a new production base in Hungary. The hydrogen plant in Gyöngyöshalász has built a second location in Hungary with a HUF 12 billion investment, where it will manufacture refrigerated liquid nitrogen, oxygen and argon.
A new production hall is currently under construction in Pécs. The previous, 4,500sqm facility is now followed by a 1,600sqm unit at the town’s southern industrial park.
The Association of Hungarian Vehicle Component Manufacturers (MAJOSZ) has signed a co-operation agreement with Autóipai Próbapálya Zala Kft. on relocating the association’s headquarters to ZalaZone Research and Technology Centre.
The Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency (HIPA) honoured Arconic-Köfém Kft. with its Chain Bridge Budapest 2019 Award. Since 2017, HIPA has presented the award to companies with the largest contribution to the development of Hungary’s business community and society as a whole.
Continental has announced layoffs and plant closures across the world due to a slowdown in the global automotive industry. The reorganization affects a total of 20,000 employees.
A new CEO is likely to arrive at thyssenkrupp, as the supervisory board has found Guido Kerkhoff inefficient in responding to changing global challenges. His role will temporarily be taken over by the current managing director.
According to a report released by the European Union’s Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs (EcFin), the economic sentiment indicator, showing consumer confidence, was down in September in the the eurozone.
Unemployment went down in Hungary with employment reaching a new peak but further increase is likely to be hindered by a shortage in qualified workforce and uncertain conditions on the global market.
Robotics is no longer a far-fetched vision into the future, it has a significant effect on the operation of manufacturing companies in Hungary: KUKA Hungária’s Budapest R&D centre is engaged in the development of new technologies that will provide solutions for global challenges in manufacturing. These include increasing labour shortage, global demand growth, growing demand on unique products and the increasingly restricted availability of energetic materials. The requirements of this new market economy pose substantial challenges for companies, and automation will likely be the solution.
