Hungarian automotive industry: week 44 2018 edition
British car manufacturer Jaguar announces technical engineering centre in Budapest with 100 engineer positions. Government hints at local investment by major Chinese supplier. Let’s recap what a short but busy last week brought in Hungary’s automotive sector.
“The first four customers have already performed tests at the Zalaegerszeg test track. We are currently in talks with 300 companies, mostly automotive manufacturers, suppliers, and telecommunications companies. The Zalaegerszeg track is exemplary in complexity and self-driving technologies.
"This unique automotive development project played an important role in BMW’s decision to come to Hungary. We can safely say that we have built something that is unique on a global scale,” innovation and technology minister László Palkovics told our site in an interview last week.
Jaguar, the largest automotive manufacturer in Great Britain, will build a new technical engineering centre in Budapest, where the company will carry out developments related to new models and their market launch.
The facility, to be opened in early-2019, will hire 100 Hungarian engineers in the first stage for its electric drive and IT development departments.
Mercedes-Benz inaugurates training centre in Kecskemét. The majority of the facility is taken up by a training hall, equipped with the latest technologies, while the rest of the building houses offices, classrooms and a multifunctional space capable of holding 120 people.
Audi brings executive from Wolfsburg: effective from 1st November, Thoralf Hanschel took over as Audi Hungaria board of directors member for engine production. He replaces Herbert Steiner, who had been head of engine production at the Győr plant since 2014.
Mahle has opened its first e-compressor plant in Balassagyarmat, where serial production is expected to launch next year.
We are on the verge of a partnership agreement with one of world’s largest Chinese automotive supplier companies. A significant, $110 million investment in East Hungary will establish the company’s first manufacturing site outside China. The Hungarian government has so far not disclosed the name of the company or further details about the investment.
The e-Jaguar’s performance electronics system has been developed at Continental’s Budapest site.
“There are still hidden, static reserves in the labour market, the utilisation of which requires significant progress from both HR professionals and companies: they have to effectively reach people who have been excluded from the labour market in recent years or employed in community work,” a temporary work agency professional told our site.
Hungarian businesses engaged in the automotive industry feel the need for digitalisation less important than foreign companies in the sector, a new survey by SAP and our site has revealed.
Analyst firm KPMG has published an analysis extending to 20 industrialised countries on the current state of autonomous technologies. The Netherlands stands out with 19.3 chargers for every 100 kilometres.
As Hungary is not part of the analysis, we tried to find out where Hungary would rank among these twenty nations. According to our calculations, there is 0.17 charger for every 100 kilometres, which means for every 1,000 kilometres, motorist have 1.7 chargers available.
Audi Hungaria Zrt.´s offer for the next two years includes a 7 percent annual wage increase, HUF 620,000 in gross cafeteria benefits and a new early retirement scheme. The workers’ response was not positive, negotiations are set to continue.
Autopro sat down with key HR representatives of Hungarian automotive companies. Training and HR experts, who are constantly monitoring the Hungarian labour market, pointed out numerous recurring mistakes to the university students present at the roundtable meeting, trying to convey to their audience that a job interview is a discussion, rather than a dissection. It is about negotiating an offer with requirements between two equal parties.
The electric motor built by the student team from Kecskemét stood out as the most lightweight construction at a Spanish competition. A few months ago even their participation was looking to be compromised, as many – previously promised – support had failed to come through.
However, following an article on Autopro.hu, the team has managed to secure the financial means to attend the event in Spain.
