PSA Mangualde

A third team will help Mangualde meet demand for the Peugeot Partner and Citroen Berlingo models

Portugal - PSA will create a third production team at its Mangualde plant creating up to 225 jobs from April 2018.

The decision to step up volume is a response to the growth in demand for the Peugeot Partner and Citroen Berlingo models. The current versions of the LCVs have been produced in part at the factory in central Portugal since 2009.

Plant manager at Mangualde José Maria Castro Covela, said: "The successes we have had and the arrival of the new models represent a critical milestone for the Mangualde plant, securing future jobs for its employees."

These initiatives, Castro Covela added, 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 manufacturing processes and flows.

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"It's a challenge that will give employees the opportunity to work in an environment using more modern, efficient and ergonomic processes," he said.

Mangualde built a total of 53,600 vehicles in 2017, up 7.8% on 2016 which PSA says represents the facility's highest level of output in more than four years. The Partner and Berlingo models are supplied across Europe and the Middle East. They are also produced in Argentina for the Latin American market.

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