JLR's planned plant at Nitra

A processor of plastic automotive components is set to invest €17m to build a new production plant in the Nitra area of Slovakia aimed at supplying the soon to be completed vehicle assembly plant of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR).

The so far unnamed new investor is reported to be building a major 74,000m2 manufacturing complex within the greater Nitra districts of Dra?ovce and Mlynárovce. Work has begun on the ground and construction is due to be completed by the end of this year, according to Slovak media sources.

Apart from moulding interior and exterior auto components, the new facility is scheduled to include a powder paint shop unit, administrative offices and a car parking area. The plant, set to work with three shifts, is expected to create up to 500 jobs.

The new investor is reported to be planning to turn out a range of vehicle parts including car door components sections, vehicle boot parts, wheel covers, engine underside casings and plastic water distribution systems, reported Slovakia’s TASR newswire service.

Nitra Invest, the owner of most of the land in the Nitra North industrial section which prepares sites for new investors in the zone, is involved with the development. An environmental impact assessment (EIA) has been drawn up for the project.

Construction of the €1.4 billion JLR plant taking shape near Nitra began last autumn and is expected to be completed by the end of 2018. It is due to employ around 3,000 and will produce about 150,000 cars per year.

The JLR project is facing a threat in the face of a European Union Commission investigation into the €125m it is receiving in state aid from the Slovak government. The Commission wants to confirm that this finance, the maximum sum allowed for such a project, follows the EU regulations on regional aid.