Hungarian automotive market offers Zhejiang company chance to expand

The production line of Halms in Debrecen, Hungary. CHINA DAILY

Zhejiang Huashuo Technology, a high-tech enterprise headquartered in Ningbo of East China's Zhejiang province, is embracing Hungary as a market for expanding its overseas investment potential.

The company, which specializes in the research, development and manufacturing of key components for new energy vehicles, counts Volvo, Tesla, Mercedes-Benz, Nio, Xpeng and Leapmotor among its clients. Strategically positioned with a globalized supply system, Huashuo operates in Europe under the name Halms in a vision to become the world-class intelligent manufacturing enterprise with leading technology.

China-Hungary relations have maintained steady development momentum in recent years, spurred by Hungary's close proximity to Western European countries where many Halms clients are located. The Hungarian government has demonstrated a strong desire to develop the economy and attract foreign investment, which has bolstered Huashuo Technology's confidence in the country's foreign investment introduction policies.

In July 2021, the Huashuo Technology team conducted on-site inspections in several Hungarian cities, including Debrecen, Kecskemet and Gyor. Based on factors such as energy supply, labor market, educational institutions and government support, Debrecen was ultimately chosen as the investment location. As Hungary's second-largest city, it has a solid industrial base and is home to globally renowned multinational companies such as Texas Instruments, ThyssenKrupp, BMW and British Telecom. It also hosts leading Chinese companies in the new energy vehicle industry including CATL, Semcorp and EVE Energy.

Halms began construction of the Hungarian project in April 2022, and the first phase — a fully furnished factory building — was completed within eight months. This achievement broke records for foreign investment construction projects in Debrecen.

In November 2022, the building structure was finished, but electrical and heating work was incomplete. To meet the production deadline, the construction team erected a tent in the workshop for equipment installation using temporary generators. Through teamwork, sample submission was punctual, ensuring on-time production.

By March 2023, the factory was operational and began trial production, with full-fledged manufacturing commencing in May. The first products manufactured were motor casings for a globalized platform of a Nordic original equipment manufacturer. The Chinese team, along with their European colleagues, set a new record for moving a complex motor casing design from sample submission to mass production.

During the construction and production process, Halms prioritized local compliance management and sustainable development by hiring external firms specializing in legal compliance and environmental safety to help to conduct inspections. Additionally, the company worked closely with locals to obtain building permits, occupation permits and operation permits, ensuring the construction and production phases were seamless. The experience provided Halms with substantial knowledge and confidence to guarantee a smooth and on-time delivery for future new factory investments and constructions.

Currently, Halms' Debrecen factory has over 100 employees, including nine Chinese technical support personnel and locally hired managers and technicians. The company has implemented a range of cultural development initiatives and internal talent incentives to improve employee motivation and foster a sense of belonging. With support from the headquarters and all staff efforts, the management team has matured, and production operations are now stable.

The launch of Halms' Hungarian factory laid a solid foundation for Huashuo Technology's global supply capacity and provides strong assurance for its global production layout. While serving current clients, the company is also actively seeking new customers and projects. After learning about the new European production base, companies such as Jaguar Land Rover, Tesla Europe, BYD Europe and BMW have communicated and collaborated with Halms.

As a wholly owned overseas aluminum alloy die-casting Chinese enterprise, Halms is committed to upholding people-oriented principle, pursuing mutual benefits with customers, fostering innovation, embracing self-improvement and contributing to the development of new energy vehicles and basic industries in both China and Hungary.