Seat and Nissan hire new temporary workforce in Barcelona to cope with increased demand

Barcelona (ACN).- 450 workers have been hired to work at car manufacturer Seat´s Martorell factory to cover increased demand for two of their best selling models, the Seat Leon and Ibiza. The company confirmed on Monday the incorporation of new temporary staff at the plant just outside Barcelona. However, the Catalan brand, which is part of the Volkswagen Group, already announced the new contracts in late January, which would be effective in a “progressive” way during the month of February to cover the increased demands for the two particular models. This comes amidst news that Seat had a particularly strong performance last year, with the company's overall sales growing by 10.6% in 2013. This resulted in over 350,000 vehicles being produced, their highest figure of production in the last five years, and is another strong indicator that the recovery from the economic crisis is continuing. Besides,the Japanese Nissan recently extended the contract to 308 temporary workers and hired additional 20 people in its Barcelona factory. Last November, Nissan launched a shorter night shift to produce the Primastar X83 van, which was extended in February in order to increase production.

Seat´s Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Joseph Schelchshorn, welcomed the temporary hiring as "great news that shows that not only are Seat vehicles a commercial success but that they also contribute to generate employment".

Increased hours also required

Seat's increase in demand has also brought about the decision to introduce a third production shift from March, an overnight shift, to manufacture the Seat Leon, whilst also scheduling the start of weekend shifts to specifically aid the increased production of its Ibiza model.

Nissan´s Barcelona factory also extends working hours

In a similar vein, Nissan announced in late January that the 308 workers at the factory based in Barcelona would have their hours increased to cope with the growing demand for their van, the Primastar X83, in the European market. They were working in a night shift launched in last November, which was shorter than regular shifts. Now, the number of working hours per week has been extended and, moreover, 20 additional workers have also been hired. The Japanese automotive giant hopes to increase production of the vans to 390 a day.