Cornerstone of a new plant for production of parts for the assembly, railway and automotive industries "Cranfield Foundry" was laid in the Neokazi industrial zone in Probistip on Tuesday.

The EUR 15 million investment will open 280 jobs and is expected to be launched in the spring of 2017.

Prime Minister Emil Dimitriev, Vice Premier for Economic Affairs Vladimir Pesevski, Minister for Foreign Investments Bill Pavleski, government officials, VMRO-DPMNE leader Nikola Gruevski and local authorities attended the ceremony.

"We are investing EUR 2 million in the Neokazi zone, because we are planning to bring other investors that will build new plants here", said PM Dimitriev.

Vice Premier Pesevski said the Cranfield Foundry cornerstone represents another successful investment project that will contribute to the improvement of the living standard of Probistip citizens.

"One cornerstone of a greenfield investment may be a coincidence or luck, but 50 foreign investments result from excellent work by the government. Positive results and economic growth can be achieved only through synergy and joint efforts", said Pesevski.

VMRO-DPMNE's Gruevski voiced satisfaction from the realization of the investment, which has required long-standing efforts.

"We have been working on this investment for a while and we will continue to work on attracting other investors in Probistip and across Macedonia", stressed Gruevski.

Minister Pavleski said the plant would be constructed in compliance with highest environmental standards.

"These types of plants represent a basic prerequisite for faster development of the automotive sector, enabling the attraction of a car manufacturer, which is our ultimate goal", stressed Pavleski.

Cranfield Foundry CEO Dariusz Dziuba thanked the Government and the local authorities for their support in the realization of the investment.

"We have worked with the government over the past four years and the investment is now a reality", added Dziuba.

Cranfield Foundry is the first plant in the Neokazi industrial zone, which has another 14 hectares available to new investors.