Takahata, a Japanese group from the engineering plastics and synthetic materials sector, has chosen La Carolina (Jaén) as the site for its first European factory, according to a press release from the Agency for Innovation and Development of Andalusia (IDEA). Construction has already begun and the plant is expected to become operational later this year.

The Japanese company was founded in 1929 and has fourteen factories across Asia. The new facility, located on the Martinón industrial estate, will focus its initial activities on making, designing, developing, manufacturing and marketing automotive components and parts.

On 9 March, the company's CEO, Yasuo Yamamoto, along with local and regional political authorities, took part in the presentation of Takahata Precision Spain, whose headquarters will be located in what is to be its first production centre in Spain and Europe.

Some in the media value the group's investment in La Carolina at 9 million euros, which includes the purchase of 15,000 square meters of land and construction of the factory.

Fall in unemployment
The delegate of the Andalusian government, Ana Cobo Carmona, took the opportunity to highlight the fact that the Regional Government of Andalusia has promoted the establishment of companies in Jaén province, around National Highway 4. In the case of La Carolina, she explained that unemployment has fallen by 21.46% since 2015, “even before the arrival of this company, which will undoubtedly have a knock-on effect by creating more jobs and skilled employment”.

The Takahata deployment project has been supported by the IDEA agency, through Invest in Andalucia. The director of IDEA, Julio Coca Blanes, described the arrival of the Japanese group as a major industrial project “which bolsters a sector that is crucial for both the province and the region, namely the plastics sector, with 192 companies and a turnover of 987 million euros, representing 12.5% of the domestic total”.

What is more, Coca Blanes adds that: “the arrival of this group, the arrival of large foreign companies, not only bolsters the local economy by generating wealth and employment, but is also a catalyst at both regional and national level, generating synergies, bringing new business management systems, enriching and fuelling our economy”.

The Mayor of La Carolina, Yolanda Reche, highlights the major socio-economic impact that the arrival of this company will have on the area: “We have been suffering the effects of the economic crisis for many years now, so the arrival of Takahata in La Carolina will be a major stimulus, in all aspects, for our region”. As well as the many jobs that, according to the Mayor, will be created directly, the company will help revitalize subsidiary companies in the area.