BorgWarner opens new manufacturing plant in Portugal

BorgWarner officially opened its new production plant in Lanheses, Viana do Castelo, Portugal, earlier this month, with an inauguration ceremony attended by deputy prime minister Paulo Portas and BorgWarner representatives.

The state-of-the-art building expands BorgWarner’s production capacity to meet growing demand for several exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) technologies, such as EGR coolers and EGR tubes, as well as glow plug control modules for passenger cars and commercial vehicles. With a total facility area of 280,000 square feet (26,000 square metres), the new facility provides 50 percent more manufacturing space, than the currently rented site in Valença and has additional space for future expansion.

“Investing in our strategically important location in Portugal reinforces our international product leadership position in advanced EGR solutions engineered to reduce emissions,” said Brady Ericson, president and general manager, BorgWarner Emissions Systems. “Our customized EGR and diesel cold-start technologies help automakers fulfill increasingly strict emissions regulations such as the Euro 6 standard scheduled to take effect in Europe this year.”

By opening the new plant in Portugal, BorgWarner has taken the next step toward expanding production of its diesel cold-start technologies while meeting growing demand for EGR technologies currently manufactured at the facility in Valença. BorgWarner’s EGR technologies help automakers reduce NOx emissions by recirculating and cooling exhaust gases to reduce combustion temperatures. BorgWarner’s diesel cold-start technology contributes significantly to a cleaner combustion process.

The use of state-of-the-art building thermal insulation and a combination of natural and energy-efficient lighting reduces the building’s energy costs up to 50 percent compared with the plant in Valença.

Photograph: The opening ceremony at BorgWarner’s new production plant in Lanheses, Viana do Castelo, Portugal, was attended by Brady Ericson, President and General Manager, BorgWarner Emissions Systems (left), and Paulo Portas, Deputy Prime Minister of Portugal (right).