In mid-July 2003, Leoni AG (D-90402 Nürnberg; www.leoni.com) officially opened “one of the most modern and the largest facilities for the production of automotive wiring systems in Europe” in the town of Stryj, situated in western Ukraine. The company invested more than EUR 40m in the construction of Leoni Wiring Systems UA. The new 40,000 m² site produces cable sets for the successors of Opel´s best selling Astra and Zafira models and will create employment for 3,500 people.

Leoni will be responsible for wiring all components of the new model apart from the engine and gear mechanism. The company set up a pilot plant on rented production floor- space in September 2000. Series production is planned to go ahead in October 2003. Every day, the Ukrainian production site will be supplying several thousand cable sets to all final assembly locations for Astra and Zafira models all over Europe. The automotive wiring business is already the company´s largest segment, representing more than 50% of Leoni´s overall sales. The large-scale order from General Motors will generate a sales volume of EUR 1.2 bn.