Leaders in car exteriors Plastic Omnium Auto Exterior

resources for innovation, thus being able to enact our solution provider market philosophy. We currently employ 2500 people and achieved a 2012 turnover of €583 million.”

“We plan to widen the geographical boundaries of the markets that we serve, through acquisitions and establishment of our own facilities, especially in emerging markets, replicating the growth method adopted in the past. Three factors have characterised our activity and growth in the last few years and will carry on doing so in the future: quality, to differentiate ourselves from competitors; sustainability, both in economic and environmental terms; and partnership with the clients or companies that we work with.” n

LEADERS IN CAR EXTERIORS

Plastic Omnium Auto Exterior, a wholly owned subsidiary of Plastic Omnium, with headquarters in Levallois, France, is one of the world’s leading producers of car exterior parts and modules. Its Polish operations in Kleszczow, Gliwice and Poznan are the group’s leading plants in Europe.

“Poland is a very important part of Plastic Omnium Auto Exterior’s business. In terms of the number of employees, it is the company’s second biggest after France. Approximately 800 people work in the Polish Auto Exterior plants. Currently, important projects are being transferred from manufacturing plants located in western Europe to plants in Poland. This is real proof of the confidence that the parent company has placed in us. The company’s management repeatedly visited us last year. Mr Laurent Burelle, chairman of the supervisory board and the executive director, visited us three times. Every day we prove that Poland is a good place to invest,” says Aleksander Czajka, country director for Poland, in charge of Plastic Omnium’s Polish plants in Gliwice, Kleszczow and Poznan.

Bumpers from Poland

Plastic Omnium is a family-owned global company that is a preferred partner of automotive manufacturers. It was founded by Pierre Burelle in 1946. Its two main pillars of production are equipment for the

automotive industry and for urban systems. Its automotive division is composed of two main enterprises, Plastic Omnium Auto Exterior and Inergy Automotive Systems. The first provides external plastic elements (thermoplastics and composite) for cars, like bumpers and energy absorption systems, fender and front-end modules. The second one provides fuel tanks.

Plastic Omnium Auto Exterior has been present in Poland for many years, but the year 2011 was crucial for the development of its activities in this country, owing to two important events: the start of full production at the new factory in Kleszczow and the acquisition of Plastal Poland. A new production unit located in the Tulipan Park Gliwice industrial zone in Kleszczow was built on a greenfield site covering an area of 45,000m2. It has a 14,500m2 hall for the production of front and rear bumpers for European OEMs such as Opel and Skoda. The plant is located at a distance of 7km from the General Motors plant, and 285km from the Skoda plant in the Czech Republic. The construction of the plant was based on the most modern technologies meeting the highest quality requirements, and was completed in July 2011.

December 2011 saw the formal signing of a contract for the acquisition of Plastal Poland by Plastic Omnium Auto Exterior. “Plastal Poland is a company that has gone through a number of ownership changes over the past decade, with the production plants eventually being brought to bankruptcy in 2009,” recalls Mr Czajka. The two plants included in the acquisition, in Gliwice and Poznan, supplied Fiat, Volkswagen, BMW, Audi and Ford. The factory

in Gliwice is located just a few kilometres from the Tulipan Park.

“How 2011 changed the scale of Plastic Omnium Auto Exterior’s activities in Poland is clearly demonstrated by the increased sales. In 2009, the company’s sales were estimated at €5 million, while the sales forecast for 2013 has hit €97 million, and sales in 2015 are to reach €140 million,” explains Mr Czajka.

“The first seven months after Plastal Poland was taken over by Plastic Omnium Auto Exteriors were marked by the process of integration into the family of Plastic Omnium worldwide, including the adaptation of security systems, quality management system, financial and operational reporting,” adds Mr Czajka.

Automotive bumpers are the key product manufactured by Plastic Omnium Auto Exterior. The production for each plant is

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