The construction of a new plant of the US automotive giant started in the Technologic Industrial Development Zone in Shtip, where car seat covers will be made. The cornerstone was laid by the Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, Vladimir Teplik from “Johnson Controls”, the Ambassador of the USA to Macedonia Paul Wohlers and the Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Peshevski.

Prime Minister Gruevski stated that the investment of the automotive giant “Johnson Controls” is worth around 20 million dollars and 1,400 workers will be employed.

- For the first time in the recent history of the Republic of Macedonia, we are attending at the cornerstone laying of the second largest Greenfield investment of the same international foreign investor in our country. The satisfaction is even greater given the fact that Macedonia hosts a series of foreign investments at times of global economic turbulences and tectonic disturbances in the economy of our southern neighbor. In the last two months, six large scale projects began, which should provide several thousand employments in our country in the long run. The realization of the Italian Teknohose investment began, the factory of the American Kemet Electronics is under construction, the German Krombert & Schubert obtained construction permit in the zone in Bitola, the Russian Protek Group announced its investment in Bunardzik, the Indian company Motherson commenced construction in Bunardzik, the new Macedonian – Dutch investment Steel Con in the Kumanovo area is official, the purchase distribution center of the Croatian Agrokor was opened, and even today we are laying the cornerstone of the second factory of the American behemoth Johnson Controls, stated Prime Minister Gruevski.

The Prime Minister also added that when a company decides to invest for the second time in our country, it implies that the said company is satisfied with its first investment, but also with the terms and conditions, with the communication with the authorities and all remaining parameters necessary for good business.

At today’s laying of the cornerstone for the new factory of “Johnson Controls” in TIDZ in Shtip, Vladimir Teplik stated that the new factory will be operational by September 2012, and in just two weeks, in the former “Makedonka” factory, the first employees start working.

Teplik added that the interviews with the applicants for jobs in the new factory of Johnson Controls are underway.