Opel to expand production in Hungary

The Hungarian Opel engine production plant sees a jump in production volumes ahead, thus, it expects to hire hundreds new employees over the next three years to work in the company’s plant in Szentgotthárd, southeastern Hungary.

Opel projects to produce 40% more engines in Hungary this year than the 2011  figure of 222,000. Quoting local business daily Világgazdaság, the financial website portfolio.hu says the actual volume will depend on how large orders Opel will get, but it already seems certain that total output could be between 300,000 and 320,000 units.

Two thirds of the output (1.6-liter and 1.8-liter engines) are manufactured for U.S. sales and for the Mexico-based plants of General Motors, but China and South Korea are also on the client list. These units will be used in Chevrolet Sonic and Cruse models.

For the expected capacity increase, Opel Hungary plans to hire several hundred workers in the following three years. Headcount at Opel Szentgotthárd Ltd. grew by 178 last year and is currently at 800. The plant plans to add 200 employees in 2012, in the second half of the year.

Opel, which invested EUR 735 million between 1991 and 2010 in the Szentgotthárd plant, will create 800 new jobs in four years with its latest EUR 500 m investment project.