Here are the winners of the Automotive Awards for Excellence Gala 2021

Automotive Today powered by The Diplomat – Bucharest organized the fourth edition of the Automotive Awards for Excellence Gala. The winners of each category were announced during the online event that took place on November 16

Congratulations to all the WINNERS & FINALISTS!

We thank all the Jury Members & Panelists for their input and support, along with the CEO Leaders Debate’s Moderator Adrian Sandu, Secretary General ACAROM and Automotive Awards Gala’s Host Colin C. Lovering.

JURY MEMBERS: CARMEN ADAMESCU, Partner Advisory, EY; CIPRIAN GAVRILIU, Tax Partner, Deloitte Romania; DANIEL ANGHEL, Tax and Legal Services Leader, PwC Romania; CATALIN STRATULAT, Engineering Head Europe, Industrial & Engineering Services, Wipro; ADRIANA RECORD, Executive Director, CCIFER; SEBASTIAN METZ, General Manager, AHK Romania; ANDREI MIHAI CRACIUN, Head of Digital Transformation at The West University of Timisoara; COLIN C. LOVERING, Vice-Chairman, British Romanian Chamber of Commerce.

Here are the WINNERS and the FINALISTS of the Automotive Awards For Excellence Gala 2021:

INNOVATION AWARD – Winner: CONTINENTAL ROMANIA for Intelligent intersection technologies

This award underlines the importance of bringing close together AI computing, simulation environment and commercially available hardware products applied in the automotive industry.

The winner of this award is working in Romania to develop technologies that bring closer the autonomous, clean, and efficient mobility. One of these technologies is the intelligent intersection.

The awarded technology proved that smart cities capabilities can be wisely implemented with cost efficiency, offering user’s experience enhancement for both traffic participants and municipality gouvernantes.

Christian Von Albrichsfeld, Head of Country, Continental Romania: “It’s a really interesting technology we have implemented to make cities smarter. Thank you for recognizing our efforts.”

FINALISTS for this category:

• Continental Romania | Intelligent intersection technologies
• Continental Romania | New generation of car sensors in Sibiu and Timisoara
• NXP Semiconductors Romania | Radar SDK (Software Development Kit) for NXP Microcontrollers
• Hella | New development centre in Romania
• Schaeffler and Flender | “SMART box”, a reusable transport box for large bearings

e-MOBILITY AWARD – Winner:  DRÄXLMAIER ROMANIA

This award has been offered for a large investment, much needed in the automotive industry in Romania. The investment will be performed over the next 6 years in a e-mobility components plant located in Timisoara, positioning this city as a major player in the national and European green technology market.

Why is that investment so important? Firstly, because, especially in the current context, it is more than welcome to have a battery manufacturer in Romania and moreover, such investments can trigger multiple other investments in the field.

Dr. Alexander Schubel, Director General Operations DRÄXLMAIER Timisoara: “Thank you for this award and for recognizing our efforts in Timisoara”

FINALISTS for this category:

• Romania’s Lektri.co | Selling of 1,000 EV charging stations this year
• Dräxlmaier | 200 million Euro investment to deliver e-mobility components in Timisoara plant
• ENGIE Romania & Mazda Romania to promote electric mobility
• ATNOM
• Romania’s Altex Group | Acquisition of 30% of local e-mobility solutions co Axionet IoT

COLLABORATIVE INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR – Winners: DACIA & BCR Joint support of Nextlab.Tech competition 

This award has been won by a partnership of two large companies acting in Romania in automotive and banking who joined their knowhow and assigned resources for a similarly important robotics competition in Romania – Nextlab.Tech.

The two companies were also involved in the past years in this initiative, offering free robotics kits to participating students. This partnership represents, for a second year in a row, an investment in developing the skills and competencies of children and young people to prepare them for the professions of the future – the trendsetters of tomorrow.

Cristian Nevzoreanu, Communication & CSR General Manager at Groupe Renault: “A partnership is the most important thing that we can have in our industry. Our partnership with BCR, another traditional Romanian brand, is important to us and we really appreciate our common project”.

Ionut Stanimir, Director of Marketing and Communication, BCR: “Thank you for organizing this event and for receiving this award. We will continue to invest in this project and we hope to reap the fruits of this collaboration in the next 50 years.”

FINALISTS for this category:

• NXP Semiconductors Romania & Amazon Web Services | The GoldVIP (GoldBox Vehicle Integration Platform) innovative solution developed by
• Dacia & BCR | Support for Nextlab.Tech, the most advanced robotics competition in Romania
• Engie Romania & Mazda Romania | Endorsement of electric mobility
• Enel X Romania | Development of 1 MW photovoltaic power plant for Compa Sibiu
• Mercedes-Benz | Supply of 135 vehicles for Romania’s road administration

TECHNOLOGY PROVIDER OF THE YEAR – Winner: VITESCO TECHNOLOGIES

This award is the result of a successful market process of offer & demand. The winner of this award announced in 2020 a major order coming from a large automotive player- Renault, for an electric actuator module used in taking control of the gear changes in the automatic transmission.

For the supplier, it meant not only implementing a new technology at large series production level but also, the first dedicated hybrid transmission used by Renault in Europe. As a result, the actuator module for transmission electrification is helping to make hybrid vehicles more attractive for the buyer and allowing better utilization of the CO2 savings of hybrid technology.

Cristian Mihaly, Head of Vitesco Technologies Romania: “Thank for you the award. This technology is available and it’s a driver for sustainability. We have the clear focus to power clean mobility.”

FINALISTS for this category:

• NXP Semiconductors Romania’s Center of Excellence in Embedded Software | Development of more integrated software products that improve customer’s experience
• Continental Romania | The development of new generation of car sensors in Sibiu and Timisoara
• TenarisSilcotub | 5.5 million USD investment in a new production line serving the automotive industry
• Vitesco Technologies | Supplier for Renault with actuator module for electrified transmissions
• Renault Technologie Roumanie | LPG technology, integrated by Romanian engineers and installed in Mioveni, contributes to the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions of Dacia vehicles
• Enel X Romania | Development of 1 MW photovoltaic power plant for Compa Sibiu

EDUCATION COMITTMENT AWARD – Winner: DACIA Build your future! – dual educational programme

This award has been offered for a much-needed program in dual education in Romania.

For 2 years, 405 high school students with a technological profile from Argeș County have the chance to develop practical skills during internships at a large car manufacturer in Romania.

The winner of this award supports dual vocational education and has been involved in the development of future generations of specialists since 2014, and in 2018 it was the first company in Argeș county to conclude partnerships to support this type of education.

Cristian Nevzoreanu, Communication & CSR General Manager at Groupe Renault: “It’s an honour to receive this award on behalf of Dacia. This is a long-term program and now it’s co-financed by the European Social Fund.”

FINALISTS for this category:

• Infineon Technologies Romania | Strong liaisons with major technical universities in Romania, established continuingly since 2005
• Continental Romania| EU funds support to invest in management courses for employees in Iasi, Sibiu and Timisoara
• Dacia: Build your Future! | Over 400 students are part of the largest dual education program developed by the company.
• Ford Resource and Engagement Centre | Five New Social Entrepreneurship Programs to Support Craiova Community
• Bosch’s commitment to education

CSR AWARD – Winner: FORD RESOURCE AND ENGAGEMENT CENTRE CRAIOVA

This award is offered to a fund acting at Craiova that supported five new social entrepreneurship programs in Romania in 2020. The center, launched in 2018, is a social incubator through which students can design and launch sustainable and innovative social enterprises to help the local community.

The fund is the result of a collaboration between Ford Motor Company Fund, in international partnership with GlobalGiving which offers grants, with the Association for Education SV Oltenia (EDUCOL), a local non-profit organization that aims to maximize training, development and employment for young people and with the City Hall of Craiova, which offers spaces and continuous support.

FINALISTS for this category:

• Dacia & BCR | Nextlab.Tech, the most advanced robotics competition in Romania
• Continental Romania| Initiated the opening of two public vaccination centers in Timisoara and Sibiu
• Ford Resource and Engagement Centre Craiova | Five New Social Entrepreneurship Programs to Support Craiova Community
• Schaeffler Romania | Donation of over 10,000 lei to three NGOs in Brasov
• Bosch Romania | The opening of a vaccination center against Covid-19 at its factory in Cluj

SUSTAINABILITY AWARD – Winner: DACIA

The SUSTAINABILITY AWARD this year is offered for a technology that contributes to the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions of locally produced vehicles. Today, the equipment is available on the entire vehicles range produced and offers a less polluting alternative in the case of vehicles with internal combustion engine.

This award goes to DACIA and the LPG technology integrated by a team of engineers from Renault Technologie Roumanie and installed in Mioveni. Today, the equipment is available on the entire Dacia range and offers a less polluting alternative in the case of vehicles with internal combustion engine. In 2020, 26% of the cars that left the assembly line of the Mioveni plant had LPG installed directly in the factory.

FINALISTS for this category:

• Continental Anvelope | Installation of new emission treatment system in its Timisoara plant
• Dacia | LPG technology, integrated by Romanian engineers from Renault Technologie Roumanie and installed in Mioveni, contributes to the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions of Dacia vehicles
• Schaeffler Romania | Sustainability as objective and priority
• Enel X Romania| Development of 1 MW photovoltaic power plant for Compa Sibiu

SUPPLIER EXCELLENCE AWARD – Winner:DRÄXLMAIER ROMANIA

Without further ado, this award recognizes once again, the investment performed in Timisoara plant to produce vehicle components for the electric automotive industry not only in Romania, but all over Europe. The project will be implemented in several stages and it involves the construction of over 40,000 sqm of production areas, warehouses and office buildings. The company will produce electronic and high voltage components. The highlight is the future battery assembly system for hybrid cars produced by a premium carmaker, which will be opened in 2022

Bogdan Vasiliu, Head of Focus Factory Battery Systems and Components Systems from DRÄXLMAIER Timișoara: “Thank you for this award. It’s a pleasure to be here with you. We want to aim higher, to provide services with higher quality every day.”

FINALISTS for this category:

• Dräxlmaier Romania| 200 million Euro investment to deliver e-mobility components in Timisoara plant
• Trieurodata | A wide range of solutions for process automation and digitization
• Continental Romania | New generation of car sensors in Sibiu and Timisoara
• Hella | New development centre in Romania
• Vitesco Technologies | Supplies actuator module for electrified transmissions for Renault
• Metaplast

LOGISTICS EXCELLENCE AWARD – MERCEDES-BENZ ROMANIA

This award underlines the inauguration of a Logistics Center located not far from Bucharest, at Dragomiresti-Vale in Ilfov county. The new center started its operations in October 2020 and was designed to serve all authorized service centers in Romania.

Located near Bucharest, the warehouse covers a total surface of more than 7,000 square meters and holds a stock of over 23,000 spare parts. The investor says that , depending on the priority of the order, the products and services reach their destination at the authorized services in a time interval approximately between 24 and 96 hours.

Ionut Icsaru, Manager Logistics Center, Mercedes-Benz: “Thank you for this great award that recognizes our efforts at Mercedes-Benz. The opening of this logistics center happened just one year ago in a very challenging period. Congratulations to other winners and nominees at this event.”

FINALISTS for this category:

• Mercedes-Benz Romania | Opening of a new logistics center near Bucharest
• Automobile Dacia | Expansion of the 69,000 sqm of logistics space rented from Globalworth
• Continental Romania | Acquisition of new building in Timisoara to expand local production
• Schaeffler and Flender | Development of an innovative “SMART box”, a reusable transport box for large bearings

CEO OF THE YEAR – Winner: MIHAI BOLDIJAR, General Manager, Bosch Representative Romania & Bulgaria

This award acknowledges the leadership and power of inspiration, along with genuine enthusiasm and integrity.

Bosch 2020 milestones:

– it has invested approximately 100 million Euro in Romania mainly to continue the development of production units for Mobility Solutions in Cluj and Blaj.

-The electronic car components factory in Jucu, Cluj County has increased its production and storage capacity, investing over 85 million euros in 2020.

– it opened, in collaboration with local authorities, a vaccination center against Covid-19 at its factory in Cluj, thus helping to limit the effects and spread of the pandemic.

COMPANY OF THE YEAR – Winner:  FORD ROMANIA

This award that completes this evening’s Gala goes to the largest automotive investor in Romania. This company’s operations have a strong record of delivering world-class competitiveness and flexibility. In 2020, this producer announced it would invest 300 million USD to build a new light commercial vehicle in 2023 at its Craiova Assembly Plant in Romania, including an all-electric version due to debut in 2024 – the first all-electric volume vehicle to be built in Romania.

Josephine Payne, President Ford Romania: “I accept this award on behalf on my exceptional team in Craiova. We are very proud of our award-winning products in Craiova. Thank you very much for this award. We are excited for the future.”

 FINALISTS for this category:

• DRÄXLMAIER ROMANIA
• FORD ROMANIA
• CONTINENTAL ROMANIA
• HELLA
• MARTUR

The Event benefited from the support of DIAMOND PARTNER Wipro, STRATEGIC PARTNER ACAROM, GOLD Partners Ford Romania, NXP Semiconductors Romania, Deloitte Romania, Klarwin, Infineon, SAS, PARTNERS Continental Romania, ifm electronic, Global Vision, Sea On Mamaia, Olympian Parks, SUPPORTING INSTITUTIONS BRCC, AHK, CCIFER, BEROCC and MEDIA PARTNERS Outsourcing Today, Economistul, Romania Durabila, Club Economic, Financial Intelligence, BURSA, energynomics. The full recording of the event that includes the Forum session can be found here: ROMANIAN AUTOMOTIVE FORUM & AWARDS 2021 – YouTube.

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