Debrecen4U
March 27, 2026
CATL Debrecen Aims to Involve as Many Hungarian Suppliers as Possible
Hungarian automotive suppliers are facing significant challenges in global competition. Debrecen is emerging as a new hub of Hungary’s vehicle manufacturing industry, playing a key role in the country’s economic performance, as highlighted at the two-day automotive event organised by Portfolio.
Róbert Keszte, Head of Operations Architecture and Networking Business Unit and Country Director at AUMOVIO Hungary, stated at the event that during the ongoing consolidation of the automotive supply chain, only the most efficient and highly automated companies will survive. As he put it: “Japanese quality, Chinese speed, Indian cost – if you can achieve that, everything will be fine.” He added that the automotive industry is a global market, where all OEMs and Tier 1 companies compete internationally.
According to Portfolio, quality remains the primary criterion in supplier selection, followed by speed. Companies are expected to respond to requests for quotation on the same day, submit offers within a week, install production lines within six months, and ramp up production within 12 months at the latest. Cost comes as the final key consideration.
The Hungarian sites of Bosch, for example, are at the forefront of adopting artificial intelligence. In terms of competitiveness, China serves as the benchmark, yet the electronics plant in Miskolc has already surpassed its Chinese partner in productivity and defect rates for certain products.
According to Róbert Keszte, “we are by no means competitive with China”; even with a 35% import tariff, BYD can still sell cars produced in China competitively in Hungary. Chinese companies can procure raw materials at least 30% cheaper, their energy costs are roughly one-third of European levels, and employees often work 70 hours per week compared to 35–40 hours in Europe.
Balázs Szilágyi, Head of Public Affairs at Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited, said that their production has been underway for a year and a half, currently focusing on an intermediate phase of battery manufacturing, namely module assembly. “We currently operate two production lines, a third is ready to launch, and our cell manufacturing is very close to 100% completion, so we will be starting our production lines one after another in the coming weeks and months.”
Regarding suppliers, he added that they are continuously monitoring the market: “If we have come to Europe, we ourselves are part of a localisation process. We are working to involve as many European suppliers as possible, and naturally we are particularly pleased if we can find Hungarian ones among them.”
It was also noted that the radical transformation of the market poses a serious challenge to Hungarian-owned mid-sized companies.
According to a live audience poll conducted during the panel discussion, around 50% of current Hungarian-owned automotive suppliers will be able to meet the digital and green requirements of global OEMs by 2030, pointing towards significant consolidation and market clean-up.
The discussion focused on how Central and Eastern European automotive suppliers can remain competitive amid the electric transition and the growing strength of Chinese players. Participants agreed that “regional presence, technological and industrial diversification, and resilient supply chains together determine who will remain standing over the next three to five years.”
Gábor Fábián, European Regional Director at Le Bélier, emphasised that competitive pricing alone is no longer sufficient; if suppliers cannot respond as quickly as Chinese competitors, they risk losing business.
Dávid Schnaider, Business Development Director at Videoton Group, spoke about the concept of “regional presence”, noting that for electronics manufacturers, proximity to the customer is not always decisive—rather, cost levels of production bases and the ability to follow global partner movements are key.
Gábor Wolf, Managing Director of Emika Zrt., outlined the survival logic from an SME perspective, stressing that alongside cost efficiency, business flexibility and compliance with quality standards are equally essential, as without them suppliers cannot access major clients.
György Szucsány, Property Development Director at Waberer’s Group, highlighted from an infrastructure and logistics perspective that while the strengthening of the region is a real trend, the goal is not for it to remain merely an “extended workbench”, but to move up the value chain through innovation.
Zoltán Kemény, Managing Director of DHL Supply Chain, emphasised that in logistics it is essential to be present locally alongside customers while scaling innovation with regional resources.
The closing message of the panel discussion was that companies will remain competitive if they adapt quickly, operate on a partnership basis, and are capable of maintaining a diversified presence across regions, technologies, and services.
Source: dehir.hu | Photo credit: Papp László (Facebook)
