US automotive companies open manufacturing units in Romania

The Romanian market continues to attract and keep big names in the automotive industry. Two global suppliers of products and solutions for the automotive sector - TRW Automotive and Lear Corp, extended their existing businesses in the country by opening new facilities in January.

TRW Automotive inaugurated its airbag plant in Roman, eastern Romania - the sixth facility of the company, operating in the Balkan country. About 400 new jobs will initially be created. In three years this number is expected to reach 1,000. The plant will sew airbags both using manual and semi-automatic and automatic machines.

"By 2018, we expect a supplementary demand for 12 million airbags. The new unit will support our airbag factories in Europe", said Frank Mueller, vice-president of the company. TRW opened its first factory in Romania in 2004, in Timisoara, and currently operates four others employing more than 3,000 people in Baia Mare, Oravita, Lupeni, Resita and Deta.

The factory in Timisoara is the largest so far and has about 1,700 employees, manufacturing steering wheels and airbags for big auto makers such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volkswagen, Porsche, Fiat and Renault.

Along TWR, another American company, Lear Corp, launched a new plant in Iasi, also in eastern Romania. The facility will produce auto seats and will employ about 1,500 people. The new Iasi factory will be the fourth the company currently operates in Romania.