NIS – A Johnson Electric production plant – an investment worth EUR 20 million that will provide jobs for 250 people – opened in Nis on Friday. The company’s chairman and CEO Patrick Wang and Serbian Minister of Economy Zeljko Sertic participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Johnson Electric is a Hong Kong-based global manufacturer of electric motors. By coming to Serbia, we are seizing the opportunity to serve our clients, both locally and globally, Wang said. Over the past ten years, Johnson Electric has been transformed into a multinational company that is adapting to the needs of the customers, Wang said, adding that the company has over 30,000 employees in more than 30 countries around the world. The decision to open the Nis plant was made just a year ago, said Sertic, who added that it was opened in a record-breaking time for a factory of this scale. “Serbia is often criticised for having slow administration and failing to tackle administrative problems quickly, Today we have the opportunity to show how it is done in the most efficient way,” Sertic said, adding that the city of Nis has demonstrated how investors should be welcomed. The city of Nis expedited the process of issuing the required permits for the plant, also allowing Johnson Electric to use development land free of charge, while the Serbian government is subsidising every new job. The Johnson Electric plant is planned to have 1050 employees by the end of 2016 – mostly highly-qualified electronics specialists. The electrical engineers who will work at the Nis plant have undergone months of training in China. Worth a total EUR 20 million, the plant is the biggest investment in Serbia over the past 15 years, said Nis Mayor Zoran Perisic, announcing that operations will also involve Serbian partners.