Chinese car firm to recruit 200 UK engineers
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Chinese car giant ChangAn Auto has announced plans to recruit engineers for its UK technical centre in Nottingham.
The rapidly growing firm, which is one of China’s largest car makers, established the R&D facility earlier this year to focus on powertrain research and development.
The company aims to recruit a total of 200 engineers in the UK over the next three to five years. Up to 50 of these appointments are expected to made before the end of 2010.
Recruitment for the centre is being handled by Leicestershire based Euro-Projects Recruitment. Commenting on ChangAn’s decision to recruit in the UK, Euro-Projects’ MD Stephen Brown said: ‘ChangAn has identified the UK as a centre of expertise for powertrain and driveline expertise.’ He added that the move will also enable the firm to build on existing relationships with UK based engineering companies.
‘Engineers with Engine Combustion, Calibration, Transmission, Hybrid and Electric Vehicle, Control Systems and Engine Packaging, Project Management, Design, Development and Test experience are immediately required.’ said Brown. ‘NVH, CAE, CFD and Thermofluids experts will also be appointed to roles early in the new year,’ he added.
The firm’s decision to set up a base in the UK is good news for the UK’s highly skilled automotive research base and could, believes Brown, be part of a wider trend.
’ChangAn’s decision to invest in the UK to harness UK Automotive Engineering expertise is an early indicator of a developing trend,’ he told The Engineer. ‘Previously Asian and Far Eastern manufacturers have purchased British companies to obtain an established brand, design capability or technical specialism, ChangAn is taking this initiative to an exciting new level by establishing its own Technical Centre and creating a team to deliver specific objectives.’
