AGREEMENT SIGNED WITH GERMAN “BMZ” FOR AN INVESTMENT OF 65 MILLION EUROS IN TIDZ AND 775 NEW JOBS

AGREEMENT SIGNED WITH GERMAN “BMZ” FOR AN INVESTMENT OF 65 MILLION EUROS IN TIDZ AND 775 NEW JOBS

The German company for the production of lithium-ion batteries “BMZ” will invest 65 million euros in the Technological Industrial Development Zone Skopje 2 and will open 775 new jobs.

The investment agreement was signed today in Frankfurt by the executive director and founder of “BMZ” Sven Bauer and the director of the Directorate for Technological Industrial Development Zones (DTIDZ) Jovan Despotovski, in the presence of the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Fatmir Bytyqi and Jelica Ivanovska, general manager of BMZ Macedonia.

“Only after 7 months since we had the first meeting, we are already here to sign an investment agreement of 65 million euros. What is most important is that BMZ will employ over 750 people with salaries of over 1200 euros gross. BMZ is also the first company that formally undertakes to provide concrete support for the development of skills among young people in our country. This is a good example of how citizens have a concrete benefit from investments,” said Despotovski.

Vice Prime Minister Bytyqi, after the signing, said that the stable and predictable business environment that instills confidence, the series of competitive measures to support new investments, gave a concrete result, after only a few months of talks with state representatives, BMZ made a decision on the realization of the investment and the construction of factory in TIDZ Skopje 2.

-I am pleased by the fact that the investment will be realized by a highly technologically advanced company, which projects its growth and development on the basis of research and development, on advanced knowledge, which means that it will bring innovative technologies, management practices and expertise to our economy, which they can also be transferred to domestic companies in North Macedonia, said Bytyqi.

With the new factory in our country, the Vice Prime Minister pointed out, BMZ will join the large family of over 200 German companies in North Macedonia that provide regular salaries for over 20,000 of our citizens.

– The direct benefits of this investment, which is projected to reach 65 million euros, will be expressed in the creation of 755 new jobs, which will be available to our citizens, which also create real opportunities for the development and advancement of their knowledge, skills and competencies.

 With the projected annual export of over 360 million euros, a company is entering our economy that will have a positive impact on the trade balance, but will also directly participate in building long-term, technologically advanced and sustainable foundations for the economic growth and development of the country, said Bytyqi. .

In the new facility, BMZ DOOEL Skopje, serial production of battery products will be carried out.

The total investment will be realized in a period of 10 years. The construction of the factory is planned to start at the end of the year and be completed in 24 months at the latest.

For the needs of the investment project, work will be done in a state-of-the-art factory in TIDZ Skopje 2, organized in three modules for production and administration with a total area of 12,000 square meters plus a logistics center.

-Today we signed an agreement for a new investment from the German company BMZ of close to 65 million euros. With this Agreement, in the past 2.5 years, we arrive at a figure of reached agreements for investments of 950 million euros, which is quite respectable considering that the level of investments that we had in the previous decade is practically doubled. What is particularly important is that with this investment and with the whole set of new contracts, new jobs are already being created, the total number of which will reach 12,500, said Despotovski.

He highlighted the compensation that will be paid to the employees as a benefit, pointing out that the average gross salary is expected to reach 1200 euros per month.

BMZ, he pointed out, becomes the first company that has formally committed in its business plan to provide support for the programs that are being developed by the Directorate for TIDZ and the Government and have already been piloted in the past few months in the area of youth skills development and talent support. – I hope that the example of BMZ will be followed by others, said Despotovski.

As he said in a statement to MIA, Bauer, they have been looking for a good position for the realization of the investment for a long time throughout Europe and because they are not a company that is looking for a short-term market.

– On the contrary, we are looking for a place where we will stay for a long time. Initially, we will start with batteries that are used mostly in gardening, lawn mowers, smaller battery tools, different types of drills. The second step is a larger type of battery for electric bicycles, and the next big step we are planning are systems where energy generated through solar panels and households will be stored, said Bauer.

Jelica Ivanovska, general manager of BMZ Skopje, informed that part of the team that will be engaged in the capacity in Skopje is already undergoing training in Germany and Poland.

– This is a process that did not last long, but it was intense. We had excellent direction especially from TIDZ. I am especially proud that the BMZ company in its policy works with a local team, part of which is already undergoing training in Germany and Poland. Now, after the administrative part is over, we have to launch the production, said Ivanovska.

The BMZ Group is a leader in providing the entire life cycle of lithium-ion battery systems with applications in various industries. BMZ Holding GmbH is headquartered in Karlstein am Main. The group’s production facilities are located in Germany, China, Poland and the USA, and it has opened sales offices in Japan, Great Britain and France.

In 2022, Suzanne Klaten, daughter of the owners of BMW, entered BMZ with a 20 percent share, where she has 12.5 percent shares. Klatten is considered the richest woman in Germany and is among the 50 richest in the world.

The BMZ company realizes more than 100 projects a year. The revenues of the BMZ group in 2021 amount to 411 million euros, and the planned revenues from concluded contracts for the next 2 years are estimated at more than 500 million euros. Currently, the company has more than 2000 clients with whom it cooperates and has a continuous increase in market share every year.