moving on Relocations and expansions

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Relocations and expansions across Europe

Renault to begin vehicle assembly in Pakistan

Groupe Renault and Al-Futtaim have announced that they have signed definitive agreements for the exclusive assembly and distribution of Renault vehicles in Pakistan.

“Groupe Renault is delighted to extend its international footprint by entering Pakistan, a fast-growing market with a 10% annual growth rate. By partnering with Al-Futtaim, Groupe Renault aims to become a major player in Pakistan. We aim to bring our latest products and cutting-edge technology to set new benchmarks of safety and quality in the market,” said Fabrice Cambolive, senior vicepresident, chairman of the Africa Middle-East India Region of Groupe Renault.

The agreements will see Groupe Renault bring its latest products and technological know-how, while Al-Futtaim, through its new subsidiary Al-Futtaim Automotive Pakistan (Private) Limited, will establish a new manufacturing and assembly plant, and exclusively distribute Renault cars through its extensive knowledge of the market. Al-Futtaim global automotive operations extend to 11 markets across the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, and Pakistan represents one of the most dynamic opportunities in these regions. Visit: www.alfuttaim.com or www.renault.com

sika opens second production facility in angola

Sika, the speciality chemicals company, is expanding its presence in Africa with a new facility in the Angolan capital, Luanda. In addition to the production of concrete admixtures in an existing factory, mortar products – one of the Sika Group’s fastest-growing areas of business – will also be manufactured locally. With the additional production capacities in Angola, Sika is moving further toward its goal of covering about 70% of the market potential on the African continent with its own subsidiaries and production facilities. Sika has also recently commissioned mortar production facilities in the countries of Nigeria and Ivory Coast.

Ivo Schädler, regional manager EMEA: “In the last five years alone, we have greatly strengthened our presence on the African continent, and now have 19 national subsidiaries and 18 production facilities. We are positioning ourselves in the markets early so that we can benefit from the construction boom triggered by rapid population growth and urbanisation.” Visit: www.ch.sika.com

bristol to establish world’s first Quantum technologies innovation centre

The University of Bristol has announced plans to establish the world’s first open access Quantum Technologies Innovation Centre, focusing on taking quantum research from the lab and into the commercial world and positioning the UK as a global leader in the field. Experts predict that harnessing the quantum world – the behaviour of matter and energy on the atomic and subatomic level – will revolutionise technology by making it faster, smaller, more secure and, ultimately, more useful for a wide variety of applications.

The £43 million Quantum Technologies Innovation Centre (QTIC) will be based in the University’s new enterprise campus, to be built in the heart of the city. More than 200 researchers at the University will work in partnership with companies to develop the prototypes of tomorrow and play a major role in establishing new quantum businesses.

Airbus is one of QTIC’s leading industrial partners and it seeks to develop applications in the area of satellite communications secured with quantum physics, to use ultra-powerful quantum computing and to adopt sensing beyond the precision of today’s technology. Visit: www.bristol.ac.uk

Volkswagen to invest €22.8 billion in its plants thoughout the world

Volkswagen brand is consistently implementing its Transform 2025+ strategy. The main focus is on the further development of modular production, the continuation of the model offensive and further orientation towards e-mobility. For this purpose, the core brand of the Volkswagen Group will be investing about €22.8 billion throughout the world from 2018 to 2022.

The main focus will be on Germany, which will account for investments totaling €14 billion. One of the key measures will be the transformation of the Zwickau plant into a pure e-mobility facility, with an investment volume of about €1 billion. In the first stage, Volkswagen will be concentrating the series production of its future electric vehicles based on the new modular electric drive kit (MEB) here. In 2020, the Volkswagen I.D., the first vehicle in the new generation of electric automobiles, will be launched on the market. Visit: www.volkswagen.de

Militzer & Münch expands in Belarus

militzer & münch is expanding its existing network in Belarus with a new logistics centre. For the construction of the new warehouse, militzer & münch Belarus purchased a property in the north-eastern part of minsk, near mKAD, the minsk beltway. The 2000 square metre facility will be used mainly for express cargo handling; a small section will be designed for the long-term storage of pallets and handling of groupage cargo. “Belarus will turn into an important hub of the Silk Road Initiative between Asia and europe, which makes the country a preferred location for industrial, commercial and logistics setups,” says Felix Zimmermann, co-chairman of the GermanBelarusian Council of entrepreneurs.

Currently, about 400 employees work at 14 locations nationwide for militzer & münch Belarus. The company handles groupage and full load transports as well as part load shipments with its own truck fleet. The team also offers air and sea freight services, customs clearance, as well as hazardous goods and heavy lift transports. Visit: www.mumnet.com