Opening of 'Gentherm' plant in Prilep - an EUR 20 million investment of the US company - will create 2,000 direct and great number of indirect jobs, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski said Wednesday. 

Government and 'Gentherm' opened the negotiations with the US company in 2014, Gruevski said. Macedonia was one of countries 'Gentherm' considered as a possible destination for investing. The company has chosen Macedonia as a result of the Government's favorable offer for investing in the country and the skilled workforce, Gruevski said.

"It is yet another confirmation that investing opportunities of the country are excellent and that this Government has been doing its best to attract investors in Macedonia, and the result is obvious," Gruevski said during his visit to the plant, whose construction within the technological-development zone in Prilep is in the final stage.

The first 350 workers, engaged by 'Gentherm' are already being trained in Ukraine. The plant will manufacture air conditioners and safety belts for vehicles, distributed to leading car manufacturers Bentley, Renault, BMW, Porsche, Fiat etc.

"I am certain that other investors will follow 'Gentherm' suit and choose Macedonia whenever they look for access to European market, solid business conditions, skilled human resources and partner-friendly government," Gruevski said.

In the process of choosing new locations for expanding of its business operations Gentherm took Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Morocco and Hungary into consideration, but finally decided to invest in Macedonia due to excellent qualifications of the people it interviewed for jobs and the professional attitude of the Government's officials, company's Vice-President Jorg Evers said.

Gentherm plant in Prilep is expected to launch its production next March, Vice-Premier and Finance Minister Zoran Stavreski said. He expressed satisfaction with the fact that foreign companies in addition to Skopje expressed interest to invest in other cities across Macedonia, which is rather significant for equitable development of the country.

Gentherm is a leader in thermal technology, designing, developing, and manufacturing heating, cooling, and ventilating devices for diverse global markets. It ships 30 million thermal products yearly from locations in 14 countries, and has more than 10,000 employees worldwide.