Hungarian automotive industry: week 8 2019 edition
Plant director to head BMW’s Debrecen plant revealed, Suzuki concludes wage agreement, Continental opens development centre and Lufthansa opens repair centre in Miskolc. Let’s recap what last week brought in Hungary’s automotive sector.
Arrabona Racing Team from Széchenyi István University of Győr have presented their latest design for this year.
“I have worked at Continental for more than 20 years, 18 years of which I’ve spent in managerial positions. As plant director I have learnt how to build and lead an organisation comprising thousands of people. As regional coordinator I’ve been able to study our Hungarian subsidiary’s activities and build relationships with my colleagues.
"As a segment leader, I was responsible for the development, sales and production of hose lines: at 10 factories, including China, Hungary and Mexico,” Mihály Nagy, the Continental Group’s freshly appointed regional coordinator, told us in an interview.
The management and work council at Suzuki’s Esztergom plant have agreed on a two-digit wage increase.
Factory visit: visitors at Qualitative Production’s latest plant had an insight into how the company tracks the production and machining of cylinder heads and engine blocks.
“Our owner indicated that we should recruit employees who are passionate about this profession. Of course, it is very difficult to find well trained professionals. Selection is also challenging, as it’s a serious task to filter out those with true commitment.
"Motivation is key to work here, but we also have trial days, where future employees are given a chance to get a first-hand experience in what we do here. At Johnson Electric we indeed focus on high added-value work, which is why we are mostly looking for engineers: the highest demand is on electrical and mechanical engineers,” Tamás Kékkő, HR director at Johnson Electric, told us in an interview.
Continental has opened its Artificial Intelligence Development Centre in Budapest, where among other activities it will research autonomous technologies.
A call for tender has been announced in Pest County for micro, small and medium-sized businesses for the purchase of production lines.
“I have lived in the U.S. for thirty years. I always remember what Ronald Reagan said: “Trust, but verify!” Trust is necessary in business, but disappointment requires decisions. This, of course, is also true here at home, after a disappointment we diminish our customer. However, Europeans spend a lot of time thinking, they commit to a direction and are slow to change path,” László Czirják, an American-Hungarian investor, told us in an interview.
A few years ago, the average age of used cars in Hungary was 10.5 years, while in 2018 this number has increased to 14.5 years, particularly due to the influx of old vehicles.
“This year, we also chose a common theme for our exhibitors: vehicle manufacturing, units and systems in the motor industry, production equipment, business services, HR management, industrial services, IT and production technology. In addition to these key themes, this year we are also focusing on showcasing alternative drive systems and autonomous technologies, which not only come up in the presentations, but also make an appearance at our exhibitors.
"And of course, we are not forgetting about the trends of industrial digitalisation, 3D printing, industrial automation,” Gergő Baranyai, the director of Automotive Hungary told us about what to expect at this year’s event.
In the transport sector, there is an emerging view of the necessity to attract Hungarian drivers working abroad back home, which is why the president of the Hungarian Road Transport Association has made a call to Hungarian businesses: invite Hungarian drivers back home in coordinated action and by establishing interests.
Lufthansa Technik, a member of the Germany-based Lufthansa group engaged in aircraft repair and maintenance, is building a service centre in Miskolc with a HUF 43 billion investment.
László Kordás will remain the head of the Hungarian Trade Union Federation.
Industrial pump manufacturer and Denmark-based Grundfos has inaugurated a workshop, training lab and VR room at its Tatabánya and Székesfehérvár plants with a HUF 170 million investment as part of a dual training programme.
The future plant director of BMW’s new plant in Debrecen has been officially appointed.
Esztergom Suzuki plant is continuing wage talks with the workers’ council, and has made an agreement on fringe benefits.
A Tesla showroom has been announced to open in Budapest.
Mercedes-Benz has begun the serial production of the second-generation Mercedes-Benz CLA Coupé in Kecskemét.
