- This BMW plant is not only a state-of-the-art facility, but also the location of a company with interest in building the local ecosystem. It was in October 2018 in the Aula of the University of Debrecen’s Main Building that the representatives of the Hungarian government, the city of Debrecen and the BMW Group signed an agreement that resulted in the construction of BMW’s most modern factory in the world, from whose assembly lines cars are now rolling off. As regards the University of Debrecen over the past 10 years, it has established and developed the training programs necessary for the automotive industry. Apart from expanding knowledge, it has also increased its physical and technical infrastructure in this field quite significantly. In the meantime, our faculties have entered into numerous strategic agreements with the company, leading to program collaborations, dual and cooperative training programs, as well as practical and forward-looking solutions. The service center that the announcement today is about is not technical or vehicle-based. Rather, it utilizes expertise in the fields of economics, law, logistics and information technology. It is a matter of great pride for us that, following an exhaustive competition, the city of Debrecen and, specifically, the University of Debrecen, were found to be the most suitable locations for the establishment of this world-class internal business service and center of excellence- said Zoltán Bács, Chancellor of the University of Debrecen, in his welcoming address.
According to Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, university towns, such as Debrecen, together with the University of Debrecen, have a crucial role in aiding the emergence of higher value-added activities in Hungary based on manufacturing, like research and development and the ones conducted in service centers.
- The most obvious sign of the economy’s shift in focus is that companies start to establish their global service centers here, next to their factories. Following the success of BMW’s Debrecen plant, it is gratifying that this company is also relocating its key financial and logistics operations to Debrecen. Through this move, the city has taken another giant step toward positioning itself as a center of excellence within the global network of the BMW Group- said Péter Szijjártó at the event held on Friday at the Innovation Center of the University of Debrecen.
By way of introduction, Vice President for Global Sustainability of the BMW Group Glenn Schmidt said succinctly: “The Neue Klasse and the Debrecen plant represent a real leap toward the future.”
- Our Debrecen plant is a lot more than just a new production unit, and the BMW iX3 is also more than just a new vehicle. It is of key importance for the future of the BMW Group and it also represents a new level of innovation. Our objective through this new service center is to centralize administrative and technical functions in one location. This will increase efficiency, reduce costs and facilitate the application of innovation, digitalization and artificial intelligence. We wish to attract highly qualified professionals by relying on a strong local knowledge base; therefore, the long-standing relationship between the University of Debrecen and BMW is going to reach a new level. Our plan is to continue to develop a regional ecosystem that effectively combines industry, companies, the university and public institutions- added Glenn Schmidt, Vice President of Global Sustainability at the BMW Group.
Deputy Mayor of Debrecen Lajos Barcsa highlighted the following: the announcement of BMW’s business service center sends a clear message. It is a confirmation of the fact that Debrecen is no longer just a manufacturing site, but also a high value-added knowledge hub.
- Today, Debrecen’s development is not just about individual investments. In fact, it is the consequence of a deliberately designed and constructed system. Economic development follows a certain track, in which manufacturing is followed by services, and then by knowledge and innovation. We have reached another pivotal stage in this process today. BMW’s business service center is of particular importance for us because the economy of the future is supposed to be built not only in plants and factories, but also in offices, data centers and universities. What we do believe is that the future of Debrecen is indeed built on knowledge, collaboration and high added value- said Lajos Barcsa.
The deputy mayor of Debrecen added that the university would play a key part in this development by providing knowledge, while vocational training would ensure the supply of skilled professionals and BMW would offer opportunities to young people. As he put it, this triple helix collaboration is Debrecen’s true strength.
Press Center - ÉE