Lionel Vialat appointed Plant Manager of the Switch Mobility factory in Valladolid

Lionel Vialat has been appointed Plant Manager of the Switch Mobility factory in Valladolid. In March this year Switch Mobility held a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the upcoming creation of its new advanced manufacturing facility in Valladolid, Spain. The newly launched Switch Mobility e1 electric bus will be manufactured in that plant.

With construction set to commence shortly and the first buses expected to be produced within 12 months, the 35-acre site in Valladolid – Switch’s first in continental Europe – will comprise two state of the art production lines and will be entirely carbon neutral from inception.

With €100 million of investment planned for the site over the next decade, the facility will play a key role in rejuvenating the Soto de Medinilla area around Valladolid as well as creating an estimated 7,000 direct and indirect jobs in the region.

Lionel Vialat appointed Switch Mobility Plant Manager in Valladolid

Lionel Vialat will be responsible for supervising, in coordination with the UK team, the construction process of the new Switch Mobility factory in Valladolid. Lionel Vialat will also be responsible for managing the efficient operation of plant, as well as leading a diverse team tasked with the required levels of quality and productivity within the plant. One fundamental requirement will be to guarantee that all of the processes that are carried out in the Valladolid factory are done so in a way which uphold’s Switch Mobility’s on-going carbon neutral certification.

He studied Automotive Mechanical Engineering at the renowned Higher Institute of Automobiles and Transport in Nevers (France) and has more than 20 years of professional experience spread between Spain, France, and the United States, Switch Mobility highlights in a press note announcing the appointment.

Lionel Vialat moved to Valladolid to oversee a greenfield project in the town of Mojados for Heuliez Group, to later develop his career in different positions of responsibility in Operations, Industrialization, and Lean manufacturing at the multinational automotive components company Faurecia, initially in Valladolid and later in the United States where he held the position of Regional Director of FES&P at the Highland Park automotive seat plant in Michigan.

“Switch Mobility is an innovative business that is changing the face of public transport and I’m excited and proud to be a part of that change. I look forward to having the Valladolid factory fully operational so that we can start building zero emission buses,” said Lionel Vialat.