Magyar News, 1991. szeptember-1992. augusztus (2. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1992-03-01 / 7. szám
(Continued from page 1) RENAISSANCE nancial support? Our greatest contribution to the future of Hungary is in molding a political entity out of the 1.5 million Americans of Hungarian origin. I am not talking about the false dream of “Hungarian unity!” No, diversity is good, unity is unnecessary. What is needed is not the uniformity of views, but the willingness to use the processes of democracy. What we, Hungarian- Americans, need are free and secret elections to select our leaders and spokesmen. In 1992 all Hungarian organizations in the United States will register and vote in a secret election to select our representative in the World Federation of Hungarians. If this effort is successful, then in 1994 we will elect the first Hungarian-American representative ever to sit in the Parliament of Budapest. If we achieve that, if the leaders of the American Government know who is the elected representative of our 1.5 million voters, the doors of the White House will open and for the first time in our history, we will have respected influence. We will have influence simply because fewer than 1.5 million votes can determine the outcome of elections. This is what we can do, this is what we must do to hasten the revival of Hungary. Yes, you might say that I have not spoken of March 15,1848, but that is not true. After all what is the message of the young people of Pilvax if not the revival of the Hungarian spirit and the brave vision of a road toward a better world, a road on which Hungarians are not followers, but leaders. Let us get started on that road. Let us declare war on hate and division. Let us reject fear and cynicism. Let us follow the young people of Pilvax who had no money, no armies, and no institutions, but had that special spark, had a brave spirit and a love for their country and their fellow man. We can do it again! Hungary can be the place where the new Renaissance starts, and the 1996 World Expo could be the place to get the word out that it has started. Why not? TO THE READER The Magyar News is given out free. You may pick it up at the Hungarian Churches and at some businesses. If you would like to have it delivered to your home, please send self-addressed, stamped envelopes to our address. If you are a paid-up member of the American Hungarian Heritage Association, for an extra $5.00 fee you will receive it to your home for a year without sending in envelopes. We also encourage our readers to send in news and articles to be published. We would like to see your contributions that will help produce this publication. Ribbon Cutting Opens New TTTP TnopilifTt By the courtesy of UnitedNews-Journal, U A Vj X dLliliy published by UnitedTechnologies. Submitted by Helen Motto. The wire harness manufacturing plant UT Automotive opened in a small Hungarian community northeast of Budapest is the first wholly owned UTC facility in Eastern Europe. “This plant symbolizes the faith and confidence United Technologies places in Hungary,” Martin Creydt, president of UTA-Europe, said at the Nov. 6 ceremony to inaugurate the new facility at Godollo. “We hope it will help promote the integration of Hungary’s industry with the European and global automotive industry,” Creydt said. About 150 dignitaries, workers and special guests attended the ceremony, including Peter Akos Bod, Hungary’s minister of industry and trade; Árpád Göncz, president of Hungary; and Godollo MayorGyorgy Gemes. Minister Bod cut the ribbon officially opening the plant, which he said is one of the most modem in Hungary. “It is a very good feeling to be present at the opening of a factory while so many factories and mines are closing,” Bod said. From groundbreaking to completion, construction of the 33,000- square-foot facility in a grassy field took 163 days, 20 days ahead of schedule. Construction was performed by a Hungarian general contractor. Construction costs were $10 million, with an additional $8 million to $9 million spent on equipment and machines. When production begins Jan. 1, the plant’s 50 employees will produce electrical wire harnesses for auto manufacturers in Western Europe. Employment is expected to reach 500 by 1993, and the exported product will generate needed hard currency for the Hungarian economy. Although the plant is the first wholly owned UTC manufacturing operation in Hungary, UTC has established other business relationships in the country largely through its Otis Elevator and Carrier air conditioning and refrigeration units, said Swift Tárbeli III, director of international business development for United Technologies International Corp. Otis began a manufacturing joint venture last year in Budapest - G VFOtis - while Carrier has an “excellent relationship” with the Hungarian building and food processing and handling industries, Tárbeli said. “The successes of GVF-Otis, Carrier and the start-up of the UTAHungary plant - all under Hungarian management - bode well for a prosperous future for both United Technologies and Hungary,” Tárbeli said. Godollo, home to the new UT Automotive plant, is in an agricultural region of Hungary, about 12 miles northeast of Budapest, and on a four-lane, east-west highway that connects Godollo with Budapest, the capital. An environmental study of 50 areas was completed before UT Automotive selected the area for construction. The Hungarian government also made infrastructure improvements in roads and utilities near the plant. “We received excellent cooperation from the government in all aspects of setting up this operation,” UTA Europe President Creydt said. A second phase of construction, planned within five years, could add 40,000 square feet of production space to the plant and increase employment to 1,000, UT Automotive officials said. The plant’s all-Hungarian management and technical team received three months of training at UT Automotive wire harness assembly plants in England and Spain. Production employees also received training at the new plant in wire harness manufacturing and continuous quality improvement processes. “We have got to show that we can do the same as, or even better than, the English and the Spanish,” according to a translation of an employee interview carried on Hungarian television. “Hungarian people need a little joy of success. It is missed in this country very much.”» EUROPEAN NAIL SALON Judith Racz 16 Fiske St. Fairfield, CT 06430 Tel: 333-1468
