Magneti
Marelli has inaugurated a new industrial plant in Russia
for the production of automobile headlamps and rear
lamps. The new production facilities are located near
the city of Ryazan, 200 km south-east of Moscow, in the
centre of a strategic area for the automotive sector
that, within a radius of a few hundred kilometres,
brings together the production plants of all leading
global and local carmakers.
The
production area covers a total surface of 5600 square metres, with various assembly lines dedicated to
automotive lighting devices, such as headlamps, rear
lamps and fog lights. When working at full speed, the
plant will be able to produce approximately 2 million
pieces a year with a workforce of 200 units. The new
plant was also designed to accommodate further
expansions to different types of product families.
As for
lighting devices, production will be aimed at both local
manufacturers (Autovaz, Gaz, Sollers) and international
carmakers (Renault, Volkswagen, Ford etc.) operating in
Russia. The strengthening of Magneti Marelli’s presence
in Russia is also functional in terms of supporting Fiat
Group’s industrial partnerships in that country.
This
new industrial settlement joins the already existing
Magneti Marelli Automotive Lighting plant in Ryazan –
built in 1995 – and aims to satisfy the growing demand
of high-quality components on the Russian automotive
market. As a matter of fact, after the global crisis
peaked in 2009, Russia’s automobile market recorded a
strong recovery in 2010, also thanks to the various
incentives implemented by the Russian government, with a
14% growth compared to 2009 in the first 8 months of the
year. The forecasts call for a marked growth scenario
for 2010 as well, with a positive trend that will boost
vehicle production up to 2 million units in 2015 (source
Global Insight).
“Our
goal is to become a leading player in the sector of
automotive components in Russia, the only market that is
currently showing an upward trend in Europe and one of
the most important ones at the global level,” says
Eugenio Razelli, CEO of Magneti Marelli. “Expanding
Magneti Marelli’s industrial presence in Russia is part
of the strategy that has driven us to widen our
footprint on growing automotive markets worldwide over
the past three years, in order to be close to local and
global customers. We are interested in localizing all of
our production branches in Russia, through both direct
investments and partnerships with local players.”
Accounting for about 25% of the total turnover, with
approximately 20 million headlamps and 25 million rear
lamps made annually, Automotive Lighting represents one
of the main areas of Magneti Marelli’s business range.
It is also one of the leading players at the global
level in the lighting sector, with peaks of
technological excellence in the area of LED and XENON
lighting and adaptive headlamps.
