#Industry News
MinebeaMitsumi invests 100 Million Euros until 2022 in Europe
Opening of new production plant in Košice on 15 June 2018
MinebeaMitsumi, based in Tokyo, invests 100 million euros in a new production plant in Slovakia until 2022. The focus of the Japanese company will hereby be the automotive sector. The opening of the new production plant was on 15 June 2018. 200 guests from the economic and industrial sector were invited.
The starting pistol for the major project was fired on 2 December 2016 during a press conference in the Košice town hall. The ground-breaking ceremony took place on 5 May 2017. Roughly 1 100 jobs are created with the opening of the production plant in East Slovakia. With several universities and a technical university nearby, MinebeaMitsumi relies mainly on Slovakian specialists. The development and optimization of production will also be partially located on site and coordinated from the subsidiary and engine motor centre PM DM in Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany. The number of jobs created is planned to grow to 2 000. The reasons behind the choice of location are the use of synergies with other European subsidiaries, shortened transport routes for the European market, the minimization of exchange rate fluctuations, and, of course, customer proximity especially in the automotive industry.
The opening event took place on 15 June 2018. The start of production was celebrated with an impressive event programme on the company premises attended by around 200 guests from all over Europe, the USA and Japan. "The opening of the MinebeaMitsumi production plant in Košice represents a milestone in the history of our European subsidiaries and the entire group.", said Jörg Hoffmann, General Manager of Regional Affairs for Europe and CEO of PM DM GmbH. "At our Slovakian site, we manufacture drive systems, BLDC motors, sensors and components; mainly for the automotive industry and in large quantities. New technological developments will also find their way into production in Košice. A long lasting dream became true today.“ He thanked all involved parties who supported the project. Mr. Yoshihisa Kainuma, President and Chief Executive Officer of MinebeaMitsumi, expressed his deepest and sincere appreciation to the government officials of Slovakia as wells as the other attendees. Peter Pellegrini, Prime Minister of Slovakia, emphasized the increasing quality of life in Košice with the opening of the new factory.
MinebeaMitsumi employs around 100,000 people at 64 locations in 17 countries. The products manufactured in Košice are destined for the European market – “in Europe for Europe”, so the mission statement of the major project. The time-span between development and batch production of new products is reduced dramatically by the choice of location. New products and technologies are already in development. The automotive sector plays a key role here and will be expanded consistently in the coming years.
