German group Bosch, which has 1,700 employees and four production units in Romania, wants to increase its staff by 700 more people by the end of this year, it announced in a press conference in Bucharest.

The group posted a turnover of EUR 212 million in Romania in 2013, up 18 percent year-on-year. Technology for the auto industry remains the group’s main growth driver in Romania.

The sales volume on auto technology in Romania posted double-digit growth in 2013, thanks to an increase in production by the two carmakers active locally, Dacia and Ford, and fueled by exports to Eastern Europe and Africa.

During 2013, Bosch invested EUR 70 million in Romania, in finalizing the car technology factory in Cluj and in expanding the existing one in Blaj, said Mihai Boldijar, Bosch Group’s representative in Romania.

The company also expanded its communication center in Timisoara, which now has 400 employees who offer support services in 19 languages.

Bosch recently opened its second production units dedicated to auto technology in Romania. The new factory in Cluj manufactures electronic components and control devices for the auto industry. The electronic core for the eBike propulsion system will be manufactured in Cluj in the future, according to Bosch.

The German group opened in November last year the research and development center at Jucu, near Cluj, which creates electronic components and software solutions for the products made by the group in Romania. The center also offers engineering services for other Bosch units, as well as for its local clients.

The unit in Blaj was recently expanded and will expand the staff to 1,000 by end-2014, 200 people more than in the beginning of the year.

editor@romania-insider.com