The new research and development centre in the Schaeffler Group plant in Kysuce. (source: TASR)
The Schaeffler Group, the biggest employer in the Kysuce region, north Slovakia, opened a new research and development centre focused on electromobility and intelligent car chassis.
The German manufacturer of car components invested €20 million in the centre, which is part of its plant in the town of Kysucké Nové Mesto. The investment also included a new laboratory and the modernisation of a testing area.
Of the current 4300 employees, 350 have been working in R&D. The opening of the new centre will create new job opportunities for around 150 people in the next two years. Until now, sister companies in other countries provided help in this regard.
The centre will solely focus on new trends in electromobility such as a drive for purely electric, as well as hybrid vehicles, and autonomous automatic control, which are supposed to be the future of the automotive industry.
According to the CEO of the Kysuce plant Milan Jurky, their advantage is now that research and development is linked to production. Once a prototype is created and tested, it can be manufactured in the plant and immediately incorporated into production.
The opening is positive news because the region still lacks a long-promised highway. Every day, around 150 lorries arrive at the plant, but first they have to drive through the town centre. In the future, the highway will be necessary as the Schaeffler Group plans on expanding production in the region.
