Varroc Lighting Systems invests in Czech plants

Indian owned automotive lighting producer Varroc Lighting Systems plans to invest around €47m in new technology and research and development at its Czech plants by 2016.

Last year the company applied for state investment incentive support and was granted financial assistance in January 2014 for its expansion project in the country’s Moravian-Silesian region.

The company plans to create up to 50 jobs at its two production plants in Šenov u Nového Jièína and Rychvald in the region’s Karviná district, at the heart of the region which is unemployment black spot.

The firm is offering employment to a range of skilled workers such as IT and electrical engineers, designers and optical technicians, it said.

“The main reason for our investment-incentives application was to obtain financial resources for implementing new investments that support the ongoing growth of the company in the Czech Republic and thus also of the Moravia-Silesia region itself,” explained Aleš Vrobel, chief financial officer of Varroc Lighting Systems.

Varroc Lighting Systems produces vehicle headlamps, rear lighting assemblies and electronic control units for a range of automotive customers including Ford, Jaguar, Bentley, Skoda, Land Rover and Tesla.

The company, now part of Varroc Engineering Pvt. of Aurangabad, India, was formerly owned and expanded by the US Visteon group. Varroc acquired the business in 2012. Today, it employs 2,300 in the Czech Republic at its two manufacturing facilities and a tooling and global development centre.