Wabco, whose acquisition by ZF was recently approved by European Commission (EC) authorities, has broken ground in Sakarya for its first factory in Turkey.

The commercial vehicle braking and component specialist said the plant would cost $20m and supply customers in Turkey, Europe and the Middle East.

The factory follows the October 2018 opening of a distribution centre in Istanbul.

In 2011, Wabco opened an international sourcing and purchasing office in Istanbul which currently buys $50m of parts and sub-assemblies from Turkish suppliers annually.

"The new manufacturing facility will enable Wabco to leverage the local manufacturing talent base and benefit from the country's exceptional infrastructure and logistics capabilities," said Nick Rens, Wabco president of EMEA operations.

"The new factory will allow [us] to progressively localise the manufacturing of products supporting the local market. This will further enhance our service to local customers by delivering high quality, cost efficient products with agility, speed and flexibility," said Kazim Eryilmaz, Wabco's Turkey country chief.

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