Allison Transmission's factory at Szentgotthárd in Hungary has assembled its 250,000th fully automatic transmission this week.

The transmission was a 4000 Series Torqmatic model destined for Van Hool, a bus, coach and industrial vehicle manufacturer from Belgium.

‘We congratulate Allison Transmission on achieving this milestone. The 250,000th transmission from the Hungary plant will be fitted to a Van Hool EX, the European range of touring cars that is built in our state-of-the-art production facility in Skopje, Macedonia. We have been offering Allison fully automatic transmissions on the Van Hool TX, TDX and EX coaches since 2015 and year on year, the proportion of Allison-equipped vehicles sold has increased. It's a popular choice for Van Hool customers who appreciate a comfortable ride, less maintenance and positive driver feedback,' said Filip Van Hool, CEO of Van Hool.

To commemorate the occasion, employees from Allison Transmission and its suppliers joined together to celebrate the milestone, resulting from 19 years of assembling transmissions in Hungary.

‘It makes me proud to think that there are a quarter of a million transmissions working in different applications all around the world, which were assembled here in Szentgotthárd, by this small, but devoted team,' said Peter Rezsnyak, Plant Manager of Allison Transmission Hungary.

Outside of North America, Allison Transmission has production facilities in India and in Hungary. All locations apply Allison's global production processes resulting in the most reliable and valued propulsion systems in the world. The plant in Hungary, which is located on the western border of the country in the city of Szentgotthárd, produces 3000 and 4000 Series transmissions, which are distributed to OEMs worldwide. The plant, which started operation in 2000, when part of General Motors, moved to its own, newly-built modern facility in 2011. Initially the plant assembled 3000 Series transmissions and this was expanded with 4000 Series products in 2005. With the new facility in 2011 came the capacity to expand to offer a ‘customisation centre' where Allison's specialists prepare the transmissions for individual applications.

In 2012, the Allison Customer Experience Center & Drive Track (ACE) was opened in Szentgotthárd. At this 15-acre (6-hectare) campus, customers can learn about Allison products and technology while experiencing the performance of the fully automatic transmissions in both on- and off-highway vehicles in varying and demanding conditions.