Hungarian automotive industry: week 8 2018 edition

Anniversary

The Audi Hungaria plant in Győr was established 25 years ago. In addition to this important anniversary, 2018 will mark the production launch of one the car maker’s SUV models, the Q3. To support production, the company has build a new, 80,000sqm body shop in Győr, lining up 700 robots.

Qualitative Production, a company engaged in metalworking activities, is now building its third production unit in Győr. The 6,000sqm hall is being built with a greenfield investment, and will be fitted with Industry 4.0-ready technologies. The company is also celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.

Tyre manufacturer Bridgestone’s Tatabánya subsidiary is celebrating its tenth anniversary. Since its launch in 2008, the plant has manufactured 14.5 million tyres.

Investments

Continental is building a manufacturing plant for electronic components with a HUF 30 billion investment. The technology firm boasts six plants, a tyre commercial agency and a logistics centre in Hungary.

Swiss-owned Rehau is building a new automotive parts plant in Újhartyán, where it will manufacture lacquered exterior body parts, such as bumpers and spoilers. The company is also expanding its Győr production unit to meet growing order volumes from the local Audi plant.

German-owned Rudolph Logistics is expanding the floor area of its existing 6,000sqm warehouse in Tatabánya to 23,000 square metres.

Wages

The management of ISD Dunaferr Zrt. and labour unions have agreed on a 15 percent base wage increase: the base wage of those in manual labour will be increased by HUF 50,000, while clerical employees will receive an increase by HUF 40,000 a month.

The strike at the Miskolc-based Bosch plant has finally come to an end. The trade unions have managed to achieve a wage increase, bonuses and additional benefits.

Interviews

Balassagyarmat-based Delta Tech Kft. employs a total of 42 engineers at its three sites. Last week, we interviewed Delta Tech CEO Tibor Oravecz, who said that creative and varied work at the company puts them in a more advantageous position compared to manufacturers of purpose-built machinery.

Magyarmet manufactures precision casts and ready-to-assemble parts for BMW and other OEMs. For the moment, the company has two managing directors. Last week, we interviewed Imre Győri Jr. about his eventual takeover of the casting plant from his father.

Dr. Zoltán Horváth, the head of the Department of Mathematics and Computational Sciences has been reelected as the president of the Hungarian Service Network for Mathematics in Industry and Innovations. He has also been member of the European branch for two years. The expert says that industry players need to be brought closer to mathematics.

Awards

HIPA awarded the best businesses based on their investments in 2017. Large businesses and an SME were among the “best of the best”.

The National Association of Managers have given the Manager of the Year award to the head of Waberer’s, Ferenc Lajkó.

HR

According to a recent survey by Hays, 8 out of 10 professionals are discouraged by a bad experience to send in an application to a company for a second time.

Education

A new robotics technology engineering training has been announced to launch in Székesfehérvár.

Researchers at the Automotive Research Centre (JKK) of Széchenyi István University are developing previously unseen procedures, assembling prototypes and patent innovative solutions.

Kefo Team are working on pre-manufacturing preparations: the team from Kecskemét is building a steel-framed single-seater with a 600cc internal combustion engine.

Photo credit: Audi Hungaria