The Mayor of Klaipeda, Vytautas Grubliauskas, visits Yazaki’s Klaipeda FEZ plant to help celebrate the 25th anniversary of the company’s operations

Yazaki, the leading global manufacturer of wire harnesses, celebrates the 25th anniversary of the establishment of its Lithuanian operation this week. To mark this occasion, the Mayor of Klaipeda, Vytautas Grubliauskas, visited the company’s facility in Klaipeda FEZ.

The company, the largest manufacturer of automotive wiring harnesses in the world, was one of the first foreign companies to set up operations in Lithuania, and its Klaipeda plant now employs around 1340. The company is currently one of the largest investors in Lithuania’s growing Automotive Component cluster and is also one of the biggest employers in the Klaipeda region (not only in Klaipeda city, but also neighbouring Kretinga, Silute, Plunge and Silale).

Only this year, the company launched the production of a new line of wiring harnesses at its Klaipeda FEZ plant for the manufacturer Daimler (the producer of Mercedes). As Jurgita Galinskiene, deputy director at Yazaki Wiring Technologies Lithuania, explains:

“This March, we began one of our most ambitious projects – manufacturing wire harnesses for Daimler (Mercedes-Benz). It was a notable challenge for the company, since we had to recruit an additional 400 people in just one year. We successfully managed to grow our workforce, however, and kicked off the project. “

And this desire to take on challenges and deliver results is the hallmark of Yazaki’s Lithuanian operations, as Mrs. Galinskiene continues, “Yazaki Klaipeda has received multiple international awards for its state-of art production. We, in turn, also reward employees on regular basis for achieving certain results.“

On his visit to Yazaki, Mayor Grubliauskas, made a special point of stressing the relationship that the company has built with the surrounding region: “Yazaki Wiring Technologies in Lithuania is starting its 26th year of operations as a pioneering company in the region. Yazaki represents one of the most well-known global brands, and as one of the first foreign investors in Klaipeda, it remains a forerunner in the automotive wire harnesses industry. It also sets an example locally in terms of its modern workplace culture and social responsibility.”

Yazaki was one of the first global brands to establish in the region, and it continues to be a leading light in the ever-expanding Klaipeda FEZ community. As Eimantas Kiudulas, CEO at Klaipeda FEZ Management Company explains: “Yazaki is definitely a Klaipeda success story. Yazaki and Philip Morris, as the first foreign investors in Klaipeda and Lithuania were a reference point for future investors. Because of these companies, Klaipeda FEZ‘s start was easier, too. Also, to my knowledge, the management of Yazaki Klaipeda plant is one of the most trusted in the whole Yazaki group. It is often trusted with transferring its knowledge and best practices to other companies of the group. This is a true mark of recognition, especially considering the company is based on Japanese working culture.”

Yazaki is the largest manufacturer of automotive wiring harnesses in the world, with 487 branches in 45 countries and 289,000 employees worldwide.