Swedish-founded automotive-textile group whose operational heart is now in Portugal. Borgstena Textile Portugal runs weaving, finishing and seat-cover production in Nelas (Viseu district) — a site that grew by 350 jobs to roughly 550 staff after a 2014 programme win, with a further expansion of about €10 million approved in 2024.
Borgstena’s Nelas operation is one of the largest Nordic manufacturing employers in Portugal’s interior. The Swedish-founded group develops, produces and commercialises automotive textiles — seat fabrics, seat covers and integrated components — and its Portuguese unit added a dedicated line for baby car-seat covers and complete truck curtains after winning a major programme in 2014, announcing 350 new jobs that took the Nelas site to roughly 550 people.
The company has kept investing: a further expansion of around €10 million was approved in 2024. Within a group operating across 21 countries, the Viseu-district plant functions as a core production hub serving European automotive OEM programmes, an anchor of the corridor’s auto-industry leg alongside Portuguese suppliers to Volvo and Scania.
Borgstena shows Nordic industrial capital committed to interior Portugal rather than the coastal metros — hundreds of manufacturing jobs in Nelas tied to Swedish ownership and European automotive demand.
Fractio helps Nordic companies enter the Portuguese market — from market sizing to first sales, hiring, and legal setup.
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