German capital Hella Lithuania, which produces electronic components for the automotive industry, plans to reach sales revenue of EUR 100 million over the next two years. The company also plans to spend EUR 1 million on training 250 employees.
Hella Lithuania, which officially began operations in Kaunas Free Economic Zone in September, currently employs more than 70 people. Following the completion of 4 stages of investment, it is expected that the number of employees will reach 2,000.
‘The majority of employees are from Lithuania, currently the company employs just 9 foreign nationals – from Germany and Romania. These are experienced professionals who assist and train local specialists. In addition, many specialists from the various divisions of Hella come to Lithuania and our employees often travel for training and seminars to various divisions of Hella. International cooperation such as this is an important part of our business,’ Jurgita Macijauskienė, HR manager for Hella Lithuania, said.
In August, the company launched the production line of BiLED HighBeam printed circuit boards; these boards are installed in the headlights of cars produced in Europe. One million such boards will be produced each year.
The printed boards will be used in assembling around 1,000 different car components of various purpose: rain sensors, light control sensors, pedal sensors, climate control mechanisms, ignition keys, etc.
According to Mrs Macijauskienė, if the Lithuanian unit is to follow the example of other divisions of Hella, the annual sales should reach EUR 100 million. This is expected to happen by 2021.
As the company takes its first steps in Lithuania, there is high demand for highly qualified personnel – both in administration and in production.
‘We are currently focusing on strengthening the knowledge and skills required for working in the automotive electronics industry, because such know-how is still not that common among Lithuanian specialists,’ Mrs Macijauskienė said.
The company has submitted an application for the EU measure ‘Training for employees of foreign investors’. During this project, training will be provided to production, sales, legal and finance specialists, because they are extremely important for the company in its goal to become the market leader.
It is planned that 250 employees will be trained during the project at the cost of EUR 1 million, of which half is expected to be received from EU funds.
Other investors have also applied for the measure ‘Training for employees of foreign investors’. For example, Holister Lietuva, which produces medical equipment, plans to spend EUR 0.65 million on training.
‘The applicant that is planning training seeks to provide to its employees knowledge and skills in technical (e.g. hydraulics, automation, robotics, etc.), project management, , finance and other areas,’ the application says.
Continental Automotive Lithuania and Littelfuse LT – other producers of automotive electronics components – each plan to spend EUR 1 million, including EU investments, on employee training.
Currently, 127 foreign capital companies have submitted applications for EU investment in employee training; the total amount requested is EUR 36 million.
Source: Verslo žinios.
