Hungarian automotive industry: week 50
Wages continued to be the hot topic last week as well: wage agreement concluded at Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing Hungary and wage increase proposed by the management of Audi Hungaria, although still below the trade union’s expectations. In this year´s last weekly review, let’s recap what week 50 brought in Hungary’s automotive sector.
Manufacturers
Audi Hungaria has proposed a two-year wage increase plan to the Hungarian plant’s trade union, it was revealed in a statement released on the union’s website.
The company is proposing an increase of HUF 25,000 (€80.6) per month for 2017, an amount significantly lower than the expectations of the Audi Hungaria Independent Trade Union (AHFSZ).
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Effective on April 1 2017, Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing Hungary Kft. will ensure to all of its employees a wage increase of 10 percent, and another 10 percent increase in the following year, the company announced last weekend after finally making an agreement with Vasas Trade Union.
MÁV-Start announced a tender call for the procurement of 40 large-capacity electric motor trains, to be funded with a HUF 150 billion (€480 million) EU financing.
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Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing Hungary has held an open day specifically for girls for the fourth time. First organized in 2013, the event this year welcomed more than 60 girls at the Mercedes-Benz Education Center in Kecskemét, where they could familiarize themselves with professions such as vehicle body preparation and surface treatment technician, vehicle mechatronic engineer, mechatronic maintenance technician and tool maker.
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Suppliers
Eger-based Aventics Hungary Kft. is increasing its weight among the group’s European locations with a new R&D unit and non-stop development.
Their dynamic growth shows that there is an increasing demand on products made by local machine builders in nearly all related segments.
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| István Gödri of Aventics Hungary |
Hungarian engineers are working hard to ensure that self-driving lorries could soon be an everyday sight on the roads. We interviewed Péter Frank, R&D director at Knorr-Bremse Fékrendszerek Kft., about the company’s autonomous plans.
Celebrating its 25th anniversary in Hungary this week, Delphi Hungary Kft. is constantly recruiting new employees to its Szombathely plant. Today, the automotive supplier is a prominent manufacturer of top-quality auto parts.
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We interviewed Dénes Klujber, the president of the Association of the Hungarian Vehicle Component Manufacturers (MAJOSZ), who had a number of proposals for change and progress regarding the industry’s future.
Service providers
Eight successful higher education-industry consortia will have an opportunity to receive support for their research and development projects from European Union and government funds, the Hungarian Research, Development and Innovation Office (NKFIH), announced last week.
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The existing support system of the Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency (HIPA) will be expanded with new elements aiming to increase the proportion of high added-value projects in Hungary, the president of HIPA announced last week at the presentation of a Swedish business publication.
A new agreement between the local government of Budapest and the Hungarian Ministry for National Economy (NGM) could provide 500 new electric chargers in the capital with a HUF 600 million (€1.9 million) investment.
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This has been our last weekly review in 2016, we will be back in 2017 with more news and insights from Hungary's and the region's buzzing automotive industry.
On that note, Autopro would like to wish to all its readers and subscribers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
