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BorgWarner Invests 25 Million Euros in New Factory in Viana Do Castelo

30 April 2021

BorgWarner will invest 25 million euros in a new facility located in Viana do Castelo, creating 300 new jobs.

The new factory, which will go up in the Lanheses Business Park, will cover 17,000 square metres and is due to start production in 2023. After the group selected Portugal as a future centre for its European expansion, this will be the US multinational’s third investment in the municipality.

BorgWarner currently has a turnover of 170 million euros in Viana do Castelo, and it is expected that this figure will double with the new investment. The group is a leader in propulsion systems for combustion, hybrid and electric vehicles. Following the trend towards increased interest in electric cars, the company intends to provide innovative and sustainable mobility solutions for the automotive market.

Ricardo Moreira of BorgWarner Portugal considers that this is an investment for the future since the firm believes that around 45% of its turnover will be in electric vehicles by 2030. “We will already see the start of construction of this unit in the coming months,” he said, explaining that the new factory will be the third in Europe in this business sector and will produce electric motors for the group’s European customers.

BorgWarner began operations in Viana do Castelo in 2014 in a 25-million-euro investment that, at the time, estimated it would create 500 jobs but currently employs around 950 workers. In November 2020, the company signed an investment contract to move ahead with a €7-million expansion of its facilities in the Parque Empresarial de Lanheses, which will create 38 more jobs.

The American multinational has 50,000 employees in 96 locations and 24 countries. In 2020, the group reported sales of US$10.2 billion.

Translation: Richard D. K. Turner