Chinese BWI Group opens manufacturing plant in Czech Republic

PRAGUE - Chinese company Beijing West Industries (BWI Group) opened a new manufacturing plant in Cheb on Wednesday.

The car components manufacturer has already installed technology in the new building and has launched the manufacture of shock absorbers for luxury car manufacturers.

Around 300 new jobs are being created in the area thanks to BWI's investment of around 750 million crowns ($30.45 million).

At the opening ceremony, BWI chairman and president Jiang Yun'an said the company chose Cheb for its qualified labor and the excellent transport connections to Germany, where some of their important customers were based.

John Beres, assistant president of BWI in charge of plant operation and manufacturing, said the reason Cheb was picked as the site of choice was the result of in-depth research and analysis on the part of BWI's management. Another major contributing factor was the pro-business terms offered by the Czech government development agencies.

The production plant, which covers an area of 15,000 square metres, currently manufactures passive shock absorbers for cars but will broaden its portfolio in the future to include other luxury brands.

BWI has until now operated six production plants throughout the world: three in China, one in Mexico, one in Britain and one in Poland. BWI's technical center in Krakow, Poland will be the main technical support center for its new plant in the Czech Republic.