Siemens VDO invests 25m euros in 2 new facilities

Siemens VDO, the division that handles automotive components production within the German group Siemens, invested 25 million euros last year in the construction of a production centre in Timisoara and a research & development centre in Iasi, with the projects to be completed this year. “In 2006 we opened two new locations, an R&D (research & development) centre in Iasi and a production facility in Timisoara. In total, we invested 24.7 million euros in Romania last year. In 2007, we want to develop the new locations,” stated Christian Ruedinger, CEO of Siemens VDO Romania. The value of investments for this year was not revealed. Siemens VDO posted a 34.7 million-euro turnover last year, up 21% against the level for the previous year. Siemens VDO Automotive Romania owns two facilities in Timisoara. One is an R&D centre – that works for the German based parent company, developing software, hardware and mechanical design for various clients. The other is a production facility that manufactures airbag control units. “For R&D products, our main customer is Siemens VDO Germany, while the other production facility supplies airbag control units for Suzuki Hungary,” said Ruediger. The number of employees of the German producer has gone up from 10 people in 2000, the year the company entered the market, to more than 1,500 at present.