Delphi Automotive is opening a new manufacturing facility at Moldova Noua, in the southwest region of Romania. The site will produce wiring harness modules for vehicle manufacturers across Europe and will work closely with other Delphi facilities in the country to ensure efficiency and flexibility for its customers. Employment at the new plant could potentially approach 1,000 by the end of the year.
 
– “This new plant will allow us to build on the expertise and capital investment we’ve made at our other plants in Romania in order to support our customers’ increasing production volumes.” – says Gerhard Mertes, global sales director, Delphi Electrical/Electronic Architecture.
 
Delphi’s engineering team works closely with customers from the beginning of the design process to develop an electrical/electronic architecture (E/EA) uniquely suited to their needs. This complete system approach streamlines the process for OEMs and brings with it superior cost and engineering efficiencies.
 
Many of the systems manufactured by Delphi use the company’s industry-leading lightweight cable, which has a gage size of just 0.13m2 compared with an industry average of 0.35m2. By substantially reducing the size and weight of wiring harnesses, the new cable helps vehicle manufacturers improve fuel economy, reduce emissions and improve packaging. The small gage cable also reduces exposure to fluctuating copper prices.

On April 4, 1,400 square meters of the Moldova Noua facility was opened as part of the first phase of development.  During this phase, the manufacturing team is validating processes and gaining valuable production experience. An additional 2,400 square meters of the facility will be opened in September 2011.

Delphi has operated in Romania since 1997. The company’s plants in Sannicolau Mare, Moldova Noua and Ineu produce electrical/electronic distribution systems and its plant in Iasi produces diesel engine management systems.