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BMW’s Supplier plans to start series production in the summer of 2025. According to László Papp, the results of economic development in Debrecen can already be seen “from the moon.”
In mid-December, it was announced that the German company ZF Chassis Modules is building a plant in Debrecen. Their Hungarian subsidiary, ZF Chassis Modules Hungary Ltd., will manufacture rear axles and shock absorbers for the BMW plant in Debrecen. ZF is also building a plant in Kecskemét, the two investments are worth HUF 24 billion, creating 313 new jobs with state support of 2.4 billion. The construction of the ZF plant in Debrecen has already begun in the Northwestern Economic Zone, where the BMW factory is located. The project was also enrolled in the Office of the Year competition, where visual plans of the planned development were also published.
A press conference was held on Wednesday about the German company’s investment in Debrecen.
“Our company is a global technology company that supplies various systems for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and industrial technologies. ZF, which employs around 165,000 employees worldwide, has 18 production plants in 11 countries, and was previously present in Eger, Hungary,” Ludwig Armbruster, Regional Vice President of ZF said. He added that they are happy to be able to expand their presence in Hungary and to build a plant in Debrecen, where they received a lot of help to prepare and launch their investment.
“It is important to be close to their customers, and this is realised in Debrecen, since they are building their plant in the economic zone where the BMW factory is also being built,” Senior Project Manager Karsten Bongart emphasised.
Factory Manager Csaba Varjassy said that they had started construction in October, and they wanted to install the machines in May this year, and they would make the first prototype in September. Series production would start in August 2025. He also announced that at least two hundred new jobs would be created in Debrecen, they would primarily be looking for assembly operators, logistics operators, forklift drivers and maintenance workers for the production area, and they would also have a number of office workers.
Mayor of Debrecen László Papp quoted PM Orbán as saying that the creation of 18,000 new jobs has been announced in Debrecen in recent years, which “can be seen from the moon”. He emphasised that the goal is for the people of Debrecen to feel good in the city and to be able to count on the job opportunities offered in Debrecen in the long term. He added that companies coming to the city offer a chance for a successful career, for young people to stay in the city, and for those who previously had left the city to return.
The mayor said that there is a lot of competition for skilled workers in Debrecen, but the city and the Debrecen Vocational Training Center are helping ZF find workers.
