Debrecen4U
May 19, 2026
Miskolc-based BMW Supplier Sees Enormous Potential in Eastern Hungary
Supplier opportunities linked to BMW, the state of the automotive industry, the rise of Chinese companies, and the economic potential offered by the Debrecen–Nyíregyháza–Miskolc triangle were among the topics discussed at the PwC Hungary Business Forum 2026 business conference.
The conference included a panel discussion titled Growth prospects for large companies in an ever-changing environment, which served as a topic for Médiacentrum Debrecen Editor-in-Chief Zsuzsa Keserű‘s interview with Péter Katona, Managing Director of Meleghy Automotive Hungary, a supplier to BMW Group Plant Debrecen. “In such cases, there is an expectation that a direct supplier will showcase innovation, AI, and every available technology. In this spirit, they established their plant as a greenfield investment in the southern industrial park of Miskolc. The level of automation was set higher than the Hungarian average because BMW imposed such high quality assurance expectations that these could only be achieved in this way,” he said.
The business forum focused on Debrecen, Nyíregyháza and Miskolc. Speaking about the three county seats, Mayor László Papp said: “I am convinced that we will truly be competitive in the coming decades only if we place the emphasis on cooperation rather than trying to compete with one another. We are not rivals, but allies.”
Regarding cooperation between the cities and the companies operating there, Péter Katona said he believes there is enormous potential in the eastern region and welcomed the suggestion that closer collaboration is needed. According to him, distances are no longer as significant in the 21st century as they may appear. For their company, it is not a disadvantage at all to supply Debrecen from another county. They can transport their products from Miskolc to Debrecen by lorry within an hour, and this distance and response time make their operations very convenient.
Attila Nemes, Managing Director of Michelin Hungária, also gave an interview to the programme HírPONT Extra. “These developments always depend on the state of the economy. The slower-than-expected rise of electromobility came as a surprise to us. Another important change is the appearance of Asian suppliers. Imports from Asian manufacturing sites into Europe were already familiar, but in the tyre industry a new development is that manufacturing capacities are beginning to appear in North Africa and in European countries as well — not only in Hungary, but also, for example, in Serbia,” he emphasised.
During the interview, Editor-in-Chief Zsuzsa Keserű also asked about the labour market situation. Attila Nemes responded that young people should be introduced to the exciting professional challenges available in industry not only in secondary schools, but even at primary school level, and shown how they can fulfil themselves within an industrial environment.
Source and photo credit: dehir.hu
