Nexteer Automotive Opens New Plant and Technical Centre in Poland
The Company Will Hire 100 Engineers Through 2017
TYCHY, Poland – Apr. 13, 2016 – Nexteer Automotive, a global leader in intuitive motion control, has today announced the opening of its third manufacturing plant in Europe, as well as the upcoming opening of its first Technical Centre in Tychy, Poland in mid-2016. The overall investment will exceed over 16 million USD and the company is planning to significantly enlarge this figure in upcoming years.
The new plant will allow the company to expand Nexteer’s manufacturing capabilities of Electric Power Steering (EPS) systems for its current customers in Europe, including BMW, General Motors, FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) and PSA Peugeot Citroen. In addition to the current investment in the new manufacturing building, the company will also invest in high technology equipment and tools in the upcoming years; enhancing Nexteer’s premium EPS systems for European and global customers.
Nexteer’s Poland Technical Centre will be responsible for the design and development of new steering system solutions and will house an integrated team with capabilities including design, modelling, software, prototyping, vehicle testing and validation. The Technical Centre investment reflects campus improvements including an engineering garage, test track, laboratory, prototype centre and validation centre. These resources will enable the Nexteer team to develop, assess, evaluate, and improve steering system characteristics and vehicle steering performance. Additional investment in coming years is also part of the company’s plan to keep the Technical Centre at the cutting-edge of technology.
In addition to investment in its facilities, Nexteer plans to invest in people by hiring over 100 engineers in the upcoming year. The team located at the new Technical Centre will engineer current and future EPS programs, and will support the development of advanced driver assist systems (ADAS) and autonomous technologies for some of the largest, global automotive OEMs, such as BMW, FCA, Ford, GM and PSA Peugeot Citroen.
The new Technical Centre’s team will not only work with industry professionals and customers within Europe, but also with those located around the world. The team will closely collaborate with its colleagues at Nexteer’s Corporate Technical Centre in Saginaw, Michigan (U.S.), as well as those located at other Nexteer facilities globally.
Nexteer has already started to recruit for these technical positions at the new facility. The company is searching for CAD / CAE designers, mechanical engineers, motors and sensors engineers, electronics embedded systems designers and software designers.
“Engineers working at our Technical Centre will have a unique opportunity to design and develop technology for some of the most advanced steering systems – impacting the safety and comfort of millions of drivers around the world. You can say that R&D specialists are – not only in the automotive business – among the best engineers who create innovative solutions to the toughest challenges. We are happy that it will be here, in Poland, where we will have the pleasure to develop experts shaping mobility of the future,” said Ryszard Iskra, technical director, Nexteer Automotive Poland.
Laurent Bresson, President and COO of Nexteer Automotive added: “Tychy, Poland is a perfect environment for our Technical Centre for many reasons, such as close proximity to one of our plants, the great pool of talent with experienced engineers and technical universities, plus the special economy zones and collaborative local authorities who share common sustainable growth goals with Nexteer.”
Currently Nexteer Automotive plants in Poland produce almost 3 million steering systems annually for OEMs’ models such as BMW i3 (BMW’s first fully electric vehicle), BMW 1 series, BMW 2 series Active Tourer, Mini Cooper, Alfa Romeo MiTo, Fiat 500, Opel/Vauxhall Adam, Corsa and Insignia, Citroen C3 and DS3. Since 2010 Nexteer has invested over 80 million USD in its facilities in Poland.
ENDS
A video showing the new facility and test track can be accessed here: https://youtu.be/nE1wDs6-6U4
If you require the source video file, please contact Adam Forshaw at Torque Agency Group. Details below.
ABOUT NEXTEER
Nexteer Automotive – A Leader in Intuitive Motion Control – is a multi-billion dollar global steering and driveline business delivering advanced driver assist systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving technologies, electric and hydraulic steering systems, steering columns and driveline products for original equipment manufacturers. The company’s global workforce of 12,000 serves more than 50 customers in every major region of the world. The company has 21 manufacturing plants, five regional engineering centres and ten customer service centres strategically located in North and South America, Europe and Asia. Nexteer Automotive’s customers include BMW, Fiat Chrysler, Ford, GM, PSA Peugeot Citroen, Toyota, and VW, as well as automakers in India and China. www.nexteer.com
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CONTACT
Piotr Dembiński
Nexteer Automotive
piotr.dembinski@nexteer.com
+48 797 705 317
Adam Forshaw
Torque Agency Group
aforshaw@torqueagencygroup.com
+44 207 952 1082
