• 53,600 Peugeot Partner and Citroën Berlingo units sold in 2017, up 7.8% on 2016• Third production team and 225 jobs to be created as from April 2018
Groupe PSA has decided to create a third production team at the Mangualde plant in April 2018 and hire nearly 225 people at the facility by May. The move comes in response to strong demand for the Peugeot Partner and Citroën Berlingo, whose current version has been partly produced at Mangualde, in Portugal, since 2009.
A total of 53,600 vehicles were produced at the plant in 2017, up 7.8% on 2016, representing the facility’s highest level of output in over four years. The two models driving this performance are sold across Europe and the Middle East. They are also manufactured and sold in Latin America (with production in Argentina).
In 2017, Groupe PSA sold a record-breaking 476,500 Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs), up 15% compared with 2016. In Europe, the Group consolidated its leadership with a 20.2% share of the LCV market and captured more than 50% of the LCV market’s growth (with its Peugeot and Citroën brands). Outside Europe, the Group’s LCV offensive also began to deliver results. In Eurasia, sales were up 55% before taking into account local production of the new Peugeot Expert and Citroën Jumpy, slated for the first half of 2018. In Latin America, sales increased 13%, with an updated range of products and comprehensive services to offer in 2018.
At the Mangualde facility, where production of new models is scheduled to start up in 2018, the Group had planned to create a new team at the end of the year. This plan has had to be brought forward to April. The third team will be in place at least until the end of production of the current Peugeot Partner and Citroën Berlingo models and may be maintained subsequently, depending on the popularity of the new models among customers.
José Maria Castro Covela, Plant Manager, Mangualde, commented: “The successes we’ve had and the arrival of the new models represent a critical milestone for the Mangualde plant, and are securing future jobs for its employees. These initiatives will be supported by transformational changes at the plant, as part of the Mangualde 2020 project, which will introduce a new platform and a new vehicle and adjust our manufacturing processes and flows. It’s an incredible, exciting challenge that will give employees the opportunity to work in an environment using more modern, efficient and ergonomic processes integrating the very best of the Group’s expertise.”