Hungary has been chosen by a major East Asian lithium-ion battery manufacturer: GS Yuasa will build its first plant on the European continent in Miskolc. The Japanese company, which is a major supplier for the hybrid and electric cars of its automotive industry partners, will invest 28 million euros and create 51 new jobs in Miskolc, helping to support the progress of the Hungarian vehicle industry.
GS Yuasa Corporation, with a headquarter in Kyoto, celebrated its centenary in 2017. The company develops, produces and distributes lead acid batteries for the automobile and motorcycle industries.
The company has more than 15,000 employees at 37 sites in 17 countries and recently began the switch-over from lead acid to lithium-ion batteries, making major investments in the new area with the goal of contributing to the production of environmentally-friendly vehicles and to the protection of the environment.
The company was looking for a location for a new European plant and Miskolc was chosen because of its workforce, its developed infrastructure, accessibility to the capital city, and availability of renewable energy sources (mainly geothermal heating).
As a result of the 28 million euros investment, production of 12V lithium-ion batteries is expected to begin in 2020, but, depending on demand, technology developments and the expansion of capacity can be foreseen in the short term.
Source: www.hipa.hu
