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EV parts producer BorgWarner creating up to 50 jobs at Tralee plant

28 Apr 2017

Production is to speed up at Tralee-based EV parts manufacturer BorgWarner, with the opening of a new production line creating up to 50 jobs.

While Ireland’s days of manufacturing vehicles may seem like a distant memory, the onset of the electric vehicle (EV) age is giving new life to the industry.

In the near future, we could even see the first EV roll off the production line on the island of Ireland – the first car to do so since the last DeLorean was produced in 1982.

Now, American car parts manufacturer BorgWarner has revealed that its plant in Tralee, Co Kerry, is to receive a jobs boost, with up to 50 new roles being created as the company adds another production line.

This includes a €10m investment in capital equipment and a €1.5m investment in facility renovations to expand the plant’s engineering and testing capabilities, and also improve its environmental footprint.

This year, BorgWarner said it plans to add a flexible manufacturing line for the high-volume production of high-voltage positive temperature coefficient (PTC) cabin heaters.

This is in order to meet the growing demand for thermal management solutions, which add to the extended battery-powered driving range of hybrids and EVs.

In addition to expanding its manufacturing and test capabilities, the investment will go towards highly sophisticated assembly and test equipment.

Located in the Kerry town for more than 30 years, BorgWarner is also based in 61 other locations across 17 countries, employing 27,000 people.

“As the trend towards hybrid and electric propulsion continues, we expect demand for our efficient, high-voltage cabin heating solutions to grow,” said Joe Fadool, president and general manager of BorgWarner emissions and thermal systems.

“By further expanding our EV capabilities, we are able to continue supporting our customers as they look to rapidly expand their EV product portfolio.”

Also welcoming the announcement was the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Mary Mitchell O’Connor, TD, who said: “This is great news for Tralee. BorgWarner is a world-class company at the cutting edge of technologies for electric vehicles and this new investment represents key wins for the government’s job creation policies.”

Colm Gorey
By Colm Gorey

Colm Gorey was a senior journalist with Silicon Republic. He joined in January 2014 and covered AI, IoT, science and anything that will get us to Mars quicker. When not trying to get his hands on the latest gaming release, he can be found lost in a sea of Wikipedia articles on obscure historic battles and countries that don't exist any more, or watching classic Simpsons episodes far too many times to count.

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