German car parts manufacturer Behr-Hella Thermocontrol (BHTC) said it had completed the expansion of its production base in Bulgaria's Industrial Zone Sofia-Bozhurishte, following spend of EUR6.1m.
The investment would create about 400 new jobs by the end of 2022, BHTC Bulgaria told SeeNews.
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"The annual production capacity of BHTC in Bulgaria, when we first started in 2015, was 1m climate control systems for automobiles, and just a few years later we produce 26m. With the expansion, we will double our capacity and we will prepare for the introduction of new technology," Martin Neeland, executive director of BHTC Bulgaria, said in a statement.
The production base expansion is 7,500 sq m, 2,200 sq m of which include storage facilities, technical service zones, office space and laboratories.
In August 2018 the Bulgarian government approved a draft memorandum of understanding (MoU) with BHTC regarding the company's investment in their facilities situated near Sofia.
BHTC's main products include control panels and control units for vehicle air conditioning, climate sensors, blower controllers. The supplier covers the entire process from product design to the manufacturing of complete climate control systems.
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By GlobalDataIn 2013 the company entered Bulgaria where it mainly manufactures climate control panels and black boxes for Daimler, Mahle Behr, Renault, Scania and VW.
Lippstad-headquartered BHTC has factories in Germany, the US, Mexico, China, Japan and India. The company supplies parts to auto industry giants such as Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Volvo and Porsche.
