Suitcase manufacturer Samsonite (Luxembourg; www.samsonite.com) is investing HUF 1.8 bn (EUR 5.6m) in its Hungarian suppliers, with funds from the EU and Hungarian government totalling EUR 2.5m. This is another step to support the company's "Made in Europe" products.

According to local media, Hungarian companies Kresz & Fiedler (Pécsvárad; www.kresz.hu), Termoplast (Pécs; www.termoplast.hu), Plasticor (Veszprém; www.plasticor.hu) and Sárrét-Plast (Sárbogárd; www.sarretplast.hu) will benefit from the investment, with upgrades and expansions planned. As Samsonite has quadrupled production in Hungary in the last five years, this is an apparently essential measure. In 2017, the company commissioned a second factory in Szekszárd / Hungary – see Plasteurope.com of 13.10.2017. Production there is expected to increase to 1.4m cases in 2018, from 1.2m the year before.

Samsonite has three production sites in Europe, two in Hungary and one in Oudenaarde / Belgium. In 2017, the group's net sales were at USD 3.49 bn (around EUR 3.0 bn), a record level for the group, and representing a currency-adjusted increase of 23.3% against the previous year.