The Budapest-based E/E (electrical and electronic) Competence Centre of thyssenkrupp, a unique establishment even within the company itself, is moving to a larger site, the South Buda Business Park located in the 11th district of South Buda, due to the company’s continued expansion. The automotive development centre, which employs nearly 900 highly qualified engineers, was founded 20 years ago by thyssenkrupp and the Budapest University of Technology and Economics to implement a Hungarian idea. During the development project, a “smart” electromechanical steering servo has been developed, which is more reliable, less energy consuming than conventional servos and is capable of working with a wide variety of driver assistance or autonomous driving systems.  Today, new applications are also being developed, such as steer-by-wire (a solution that provides solely electronic connections instead of mechanical ones) or own self-driving systems.   Within a few years, the Centre has become an international leader and is today ranked among the best worldwide in its field.

“This change marks a significant milestone in our lives: when I came to Hungary, we had barely forty employees at the Development Centre, and today we have nine hundred engineer colleagues working in Budapest, whose work I am particularly proud of” said Marc de Bastos Eckstein, Managing Director of thyssenkrupp Components Technology Hungary. 

Moving will take several steps and months, and the most difficult task will probably be to build the labs. The environment, that is by nearly a third larger in size than the present site, will be designed to support the agile software development approach used here and to make collaboration among staff members even more effective. 

thyssenkrupp is the most intensive industrial and technological investor in Hungary. In addition to the E/E Competence Centre, the company is also engaged in manufacturing and assembly work in Hungary:  In Jászfényszaru, electromechanical steering servos and cylinder head integrated camshafts are produced, whereas in Debrecen stabilizers and springs are manufactured by the company. A chassis assembly plant and a Steel Service Centre are in operation in Győr, and the construction of an engine parts factory involving a greenfield investment of about HUF 17 billion in Pécs will begin this year.