The American company Johnson Controls starts Thursday the construction of its plant, investment worth US$20 million, in the Technological Industrial Development Zone Strumica, which will create new 1.500 jobs.

The facility which covers an area of 13.000sqm will produce car seats covers, which will be exported in Europe. With this investment, Johnson Controls will employ the total of around 3.000 people.

Caretaker PM Emil Dimitriev, Deputy PM Vladimir Pesevski, CEO of the Directorate for Technological Industrial Development Zones Viktor Mizo, VMRO-DPMNE leader Nikola Gruevski and other officials attended the groundbreaking ceremony.

Successful development of our plant in Stip and successful cooperation with the Macedonian government in the past several years traced our path to the next step for the new plant in Strumica, Vice President–Global Trim Unit of Johnson Controls Vladimir Teplik said.

The construction of new plant is important investment in Strumica and indicator that we believed in offered opportunities. Along with Stip plant, Johnson Controls will employ 3.300 people in Macedonia, Teplik underlined.
The start of construction of the second plant by Johnson Controls and Wednesday’s launch of construction works for Van Hool’s second production facility show that investments in Macedonia are continuing and the country continues to move forward, Dimitriev said.

The fact that Johnson Controls operates in over 150 countries with approximately 160.000 employees and invests with its capacities in Macedonia, is a magnet for other companies to come and become acquainted with the favorable conditions for investment.

The conditions for starting and running a business and openness of government officials is what separates us from other destinations, Pesevski said, stressing the government's commitment to maintaining contact with existing investors and attract new serious and reputable companies to realize here their investment plans.

Mizo said that new plant in Strumica is expected to be completed in April 2017. The basis for this is already started trial production of the American company in brownfield investment in this city for which it already has hired 400 workers and plans this number to increase by 500 by yearend.

Dimitriev said that new plant is important for Strumica region and announced new 1.500 jobs, which will reduce the unemployment rate. Many people from Strumica, Bosilovo, Vasilevo, Valandovo, Radovis, Dojran will work in the plant, and besides direct I believe that many indirect employment through partner companies to Johnson Controls will be opened.

Gruevski who also attended the groundbreaking ceremony today said that the Johnson Controls investment is important and will create 1.500 jobs in this region and additional indirect employments.

This is very important investment in Strumica and is first of this kind whereat we worked a lot as economic team in the government. Last year I promised and today we start the realization of the greenfield i.e. construction of new plant which will employ 1.500 people as direct jobs and many people will also be employed in indirect jobs, Gruevski said adding that investment will mean serious help for unemployed in this region of Strumica.

He said that the first 1.300 jobs are to be created in the first quarter of 2017 when the construction of the plant is expected to be completed and the rest of 200 jobs will follow afterwards.