Dana Inc. broke ground on a state-of-the-art gear manufacturing facility in Europe to support new business in the region. The 140,000-square-foot (13,000-square-meter) facility in Győr, Hungary, will provide customers in the region with access to Dana’s advanced design, engineering and manufacturing expertise to support their sourcing initiatives and technology strategies, says the company.
The company is investing approximately €46 million ($48.96 million USD) in the new facility, which will begin production in early 2018 employing approximately 200 highly qualified associates when full production is reached in 2020.
The facility will produce Spicer AdvanTEK hypoid or spiral bevel ring and pinion gear sets. Dana manufactures gears for traditional banjo and beam axles, as well as all-wheel-drive systems. Full axle assembly on-site is possible in the future, Dana says.
The company’s AdvanTEK line of gears offers best-in-class noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) performance, as well as greater power density in a compact package. When integrated into an axle, these gear sets are responsible for transmitting driving torque to the wheels – delivering improved fuel efficiency, enhanced vehicle performance and maximum durability for the complete spectrum of light and commercial vehicles, according to Dana.
The new plant will serve as the company’s fourth operation in Hungary. The decision to develop another plant within the country was made possible by the Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency (HIPA), which awarded Dana development grants and tax incentives.
“We are excited to be building this new gear-manufacturing facility to support new business growth in Europe,” said Bob Pyle, president of Dana Light Vehicle Driveline Technologies. “This plant is strategically positioned in close proximity to our existing Győr operations and will enable us to deliver technologies to our European customers more quickly and cost effectively.
“We are grateful for the strong support that HIPA and the Hungarian government have provided as we expand our gear-manufacturing capacity in the region. Dana has operated in Győr for more than 10 years, and we know from experience that we can find exceptional employees there,” said Pyle.
