- Construction of a new GKN Automotive production facility near Miskolc, Hungary has now been completed
- New Hungarian site enables GKN Automotive to remain close to its OEM customers
- It will be responsible for producing sideshafts
London, UK (11 September 2023) - GKN Automotive, the global leader in drive systems, has completed construction of a new manufacturing facility in Felsőzsolca near Miskolc, north-eastern Hungary, to remain close to its OEM customers and maintain its market-leading position.
The automotive industry has become a dominant industry in Hungary, with 420,000 cars and 1.9 million engines produced every year. With many of its current and potential OEM customers already present in the region, GKN Automotive’s new site will allow car manufacturers to benefit from a leading tier one supplier within close proximity.
The site, which will be in operation in October 2023, will be responsible for producing sideshafts. GKN Automotive estimates the site will produce approximately 230,000 sideshafts for customers between October and December 2023, with further capacity expected to follow. By increasing the production of components used in electric vehicles, GKN Automotive can continue to drive the transition to electrification.
Covering approximately 29,000sq. metres, the site consists of a production and logistics hall, office building, and engineering centre complete with testing facilities, and has been constructed with a focus on sustainable design and best-in-class flow production processes.
The plant will complement GKN Automotive’s existing network of production sites in the region, further improving its competitiveness. These include Oleśnica in Poland and Zreče in Slovenia. In the long term, these plants, along with other GKN Automotive sites globally, will also support the growing demand for eDrive systems and components.
Markus Bannert, CEO at GKN Automotive, said: “We’re delighted to be opening our new manufacturing facility in Hungary, which has become a key location for many of our customers. Once production begins in October, this site will be strategically important in delivering our market-leading sideshafts, for which there is growing demand.”
Following a comprehensive site selection process, the location – Felsőzsolca Industrial Zone – was decided on as the most suitable due to its advantageous position in terms of international transport and trade. Its nearby city, Miskolc, also has a strong and diverse education system and is home to the second largest technical university in Hungary, University of Miskolc, providing a pipeline of skilled technicians.
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Notes to Editors
ABOUT GKN AUTOMOTIVE
ABOUT GKN AUTOMOTIVE
GKN Automotive is a world-leading global automotive technology company at the forefront of innovation. Its origins date back to 1759 and for the last 70 years it has been putting key technologies into series production. It is the trusted partner for most of the world’s automotive companies, specialising in developing, building, and supplying market-leading drive systems and advanced ePowertrain technologies.
It is the global leader in sideshafts, with eight out of ten of the world’s best-selling cars outside China using its sideshaft technology. GKN Automotive’s first eDrive system was fitted to a production car over 20 years ago; today, over two million electrified vehicles worldwide are powered by this technology.
GKN Automotive is part of Dowlais Group plc, a specialist engineering group focused on the automotive sector.
For further information, please contact:
Kate Saxton
Head of External Communication
GKN Automotive Email: Kate.Saxton@gknautomotive.com
