Plastic Omnium has opened a new automotive development center in Lozorno, Slovakia, to support its exterior and structural components operations.
The company invested nearly €2m in the construction of the engineering center that will enhance the performance of automotive projects by working closely with customers, while reducing development costs.
The center will work mainly with German car manufacturers, the company's largest customers, and offer primary support services for the industrial development of automotive schemes.
It will support projects such as computer aided design (CAD), styling, product engineering, industrial engineering, quality control, sales and purchasing.
The new center includes 1,300m2 of office space and 300m2 of laboratories. It employs 110 engineers and technicians from eight countries, and will be able to accommodate nearly 160 staff.
Plastic Omnium currently has two automotive research centers in France, and 12 development centers in other major global car manufacturing regions, including Germany, US, Japan, South Korea, Slovakia.
The new center will work together with S-Sigmatech international research & development center that is located close to Lyon in France.
Technological cooperation deals have also been struck with the universities of Bratislava and Koice in Slovakia and Zlín in the Czech Republic.