Visteon enjoys a commanding position on global automotive markets focused on cockpit electronics. Its dominant share of the instrument cluster segment is the result of historic excellence in product quality and illustrates the ongoing approach of supplying state-of-the-art, striking and innovative technology that continuously advances the industry conversation in in-car capabilities. The position with center information displays is also favorable, while the company’s evolving presence in the infotainment and domain controller spaces further demonstrates Visteon’s ambition to develop leading-edge solutions for an ever-growing customer base.

To achieve this, Visteon has identified clear growth areas for the company – in regional location and technical expertise – for 2021 and beyond, which it projects will propel skill and proficiency far beyond current capacity. The development of global engineering centers plays a critical role in this strategy.

As one of the key regional hubs that will facilitate and nurture this change, Visteon’s existing technology center in Sofia, Bulgaria will play an active part in the further growth of an established employee base with the desired competencies to contribute to the expansion of validation and testing acumen. The facility – based at the city’s iconic Capital Fort tower – is one of a number of Visteon sites which has transitioned from project delivery to a full project management center – providing the opportunity to on-board critical senior product development and chief engineer roles to the site.

Possessing the capacity to deliver these crucial functions enables additional support to Visteon customers within the region, as well as serving its own platform requirements. This shift signifies Visteon’s adaption to the skillsets required to adequately cater to the constantly evolving demands of its customer base worldwide – with a move towards a more software-focused technology enterprise supporting the new expectations of the major automakers it supplies.

Visteon retains extensive experience with customers and technology solutions, exemplary testing capacity and wide-ranging product diversity. Expert knowledge, skills and understanding contribute fundamentally to the factors leading to success in delivering excellent quality – such as test coverage, test automation and a dynamic and flexible strategy that leads to early detection of defects, saving on costs and time in product development.

Furthermore, the site has placed great emphasis on establishing and nurturing ties with regional academic facilities and, consequently, the significant talent pool that continues to emerge in the automotive software development and engineering space in Bulgaria.

Having launched in 2015, Visteon's Engineering Academy, held at the Sofia center, has done exceptional work in providing academic, practical and real-life professional experience to more than 50 graduates eager to forge a career in engineering. Similarly, the company has recently announced a collaboration with the Technical University, Sofia over an educational engineering initiative, creating a four-year Automotive Electronics degree-based program with a curriculum that incorporates modern theories and best practices within auto today.

This is the secure foundation the company looks to build upon, complementing its existing capabilities with fresh ideas in diverse industry segments as it sets a path for future success in cockpit electronics.