Specifically, door and seat control units as well as radar sensors will be produced for the European market in Lithuania. Over the next five years, the plant will create some 1,000 new jobs with a total area of 22,000 m². The production halls are designed so that driverless transport systems (AGVs / automated guided vehicles) can be used in the future, for example.

The Baltic country has remained in the shade with regard to investment decisions of European companies. However, Continental chose the location in Kaunas because it is the country’s hub for electronics and automation, said Shayan Ali , Managing Director of Continental in Lithuania. In addition, about 10% of the 47,000 students are studying electronics manufacturing. Although companies in the industry are being offered everything they need, Lithuania has not been on the list of investors due to the small size of the market and the distance to automobile manufacturers, said Lithuanian Minister of Economic Affairs Virginijus Sinkevičius .

In fact, the location of Lithuania received good grades in a survey of the German Foreign Chamber of Commerce . The digital transformation has started there too. A proprietary Industry 4.0 platform based on the German model was founded back in May 2017.