US based Gentherm corporation, which specializes in manufacturing heated equipment for vehicles, announced on Wednesday it will open a new plant in the Macedonian city of Prilep, with about 1.000 employees. Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski announced the investment on his Facebook profile, at the same time when Gentherm published the information on its web site.

"We have good news for Prilep. A new American investment and the possibility to open up to 1.000 people. Our work and persistence are giving results", Gruevski wrote on Facebook.

The first phase of the facility would be approximately 65,000 square feet and is tentatively planned to open in the fourth quarter of 2015. The new facility would be dedicated to the production of the full line of Gentherm seat comfort and industrial products, and, after a three year build-up to full employment, is expected to provide jobs for up to 1,000 people, Gentherm wrote in its press release.

Gentherm is a leading producer of heated and cooled seats and other automotive parts. It produces equipment that is installed in dozens of vehicle models by companies such as Ford, General Motors, Toyota, Lexus and Kia.
"Our customers are all the major automobile OEMs in the world and our mix of products continues to grow, so it is becoming increasingly important for us to have a global network of manufacturing facilities", Gentherm President and CEO Daniel R. Coker is quoted in the press release. Gentherm has manufacturing facilities in the Ukraine, Mexico, and in Langfang and Shenzhen, China. "We also have a very strong specialty cable business in Europe that continues to grow. We believe that the country of Macedonia provides us with a competitive environment to further pursue our ambitious growth plans in Europe, and elsewhere in the world", Coker added.