Skopje, 17th February 2016 (MIA) – Cornerstone for Macedonian Hi-Tech company’s plant, the first domestic investment, was laid in TIDZ Bunardzik today.
The investment, amounting to EUR 20 million, will create over 300 jobs and it will be realized in two stages. The first one is estimated at EUR 6 million, while the second one at EUR 14 million.
The first stage includes construction of a plant, covering an area of 5,400 m2, to commence its operations in the autumn with a staff of 100 people.
– The new plant will be the pinnacle of technical and technological achievements in Macedonia, creating more than 300 jobs. By manufacturing the most sophisticated electrical components, we will participate in the global nanotechnologies. Thus, we will significantly contribute to boosting the Macedonian export, owner of Hi-Tech Assembly Center, Savo Stankovik, pointed out.
As Stankovik underlined, after 36 years of existence of the company, this is yet another challenge, a historical moment, not only for his family, but also for the other entrepreneurs, as well as the entire country.
– Today is a special, historic, day for Macedonia. This is the first ever domestic investment in the free economic zones and the best example that Macedonian businessmen, with good ideas and projects, high technology and export-oriented production, are welcome to the TIDZ, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Zoran Stavreski, pointed out.
He underlined that as a result of the vision of VMRO-DPMNE leader, Nikola Gruevski, and the efforts he, as well as the whole government expert team, have made in Macedonia, large number of both foreign and domestic companies operated in the country, exporting and creating jobs. As a result thereof, unemployment has reached record-low level.
As Stavreski said, Hi-Tech is an example of a company employing highly qualified expert personnel, renowned engineers, recognized not only in the country, but also abroad. This is yet another proof, he said, that the most valuable Macedonia owns is intellect, knowledge, people’s ability and working ethics, that the country has a qualified labour force, educated people, competitive on the market, able to work successively or, as Stankovik said, Macedonia is a good place for everyone who wants to work.
– We still welcome companies with advanced technology production in the free zones, companies to export and conquer foreign markets. They will also provide work for large number of companies in the country, Stavreski pointed out.
He noted that as a result of the companies’ operations in the free zones, Macedonia exported many more complex and more sophisticated products today, as well as increased the exported products by scope significantly. It is especially important, he said, that structure of export changes towards higher value-added products. We are no longer exporting only raw materials and intermediate goods, agricultural products, basic metal products, textile and tobacco, but also sophisticated hi-tech products.
– Macedonian export reached record high level of over four billion euros last year. Export of machinery and transport equipment surged, as a result of the operations of plants in the zones, reaching US$ 1.1 billion. Just five years ago, export of machinery and transport equipment amounted to only US$ 150 million. It has experienced seven-fold increase as a result of government policies on attracting new investments, Stavreski stressed.
One more example thereto, he went on, is the export of chemical products, which reached billion US dollars last year, as opposed to US$ 381 million five years ago.
CEO of TIDZ Directorate, Viktor Mizo, said that Hi-Tech Assembly Center investment in Bunardzik would be expanded on additional 11,000 m2 in the coming 5 years. Production would be fully export oriented, and products would be mainly exported in Germany, Switzerland, Great Britain and the Scandinavian countries.
Last year, export Hi-Tech realized amounted to around ten or so million euros. Its products are broadly applied in automotive, aviation and military industries, as well as production of medical equipment. Clients of this Macedonia company are global brands, such as Continental, Siemens, Bosch, Philips, … It employs 180 people at the moment, while it will reach 480 persons with the opening of the new plant.
The cornerstone-laying ceremony was also attended by VMRO-DPMNE leader Nikola Gruevski.
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