ContiTech Fluid Automotive Hungaria (Mako / Hungary; www.contitech.hu) has opened a new fuel line production hall at its site in Vac / Hungary. The investment of several million euros has tripled the size of the production area to 3,300 m². Segment head Petra Beckmann said: “By this summer, Vac will be the production centre for all fuel lines destined for the European market.” The project is part of a EUR 5m programme which has already seen the construction of a warehouse in Vac as well as a highly automated machining centre for steel tubes for fuel lines.

The company is growing strongly in Hungary. Last year, a new building for product development was completed in Mako, the site of its headquarters, where tubing for heating and cooling systems and the required manufacturing tools will be designed. Production capacity in Mako was also expanded and batch production of plastic products started. A new compounding facility was also built last year in Nyiregyhaza which supplies primary materials for air spring production there as well as for hose production in Mako.

ContiTech said the Hungarian government has strengthened its collaboration with automotive tyre manufacturer, Continental (Hanover / Germany; www.conti-online.com), which has expressed its willingness to give Hungarian training and research facilities a greater role in product development. Continental added it intends to increase the use of Hungarian suppliers.

Late last year, ContiTech revealed plans to invest EUR 13m in a new plant for the production of air conditioning and motor cable lines in Kaluga / Russia, creating 160 new jobs – see Plasteurope.com of 12.12.2012.