The Lear Corporation opened its first plant in Macedonian, located in the Tetovo industrial zone.
The American based manufacturer of textiles used in the automotive industry invested 15 million EUR in the plant and has initially employed 520 people, while aiming for up to 3.000 people.
Lear initially began operating at an older site in Gostivar with 300 employees. The new plant covers 12.000 square meters with room for 2.000 employees, and has latest textile producing technology installed. An expansion option would increase the number of workers to 3.000.
"This is a historic day for Tetovo and the entire Polog region. We were in competition with several other countries to bring this investment. We are extremely optimistic and hopeful, given the development plans of the company, that we will soon meet the maximum capacity of workers, at between 2.500 and 3.000 people", said Vele Samak, one of the Government ministers in charge of facilitating the entry of foreign investors.
Lear representative Sven Damm said that the company plans to produce textiles worth between 45 and 50 million EUR in its Tetovo plant, which will go to some of the top automotive brands such as Jaguar and Land Rover. "Lear is a brand that means perfection. We expect to show that here, in Tetovo, as well", said Damm.
Top officials attended the opening of the plant, including VMRO-DPMNE President Nikola Gruevski and DUI President Ali Ahmeti. Gruevski said through his social media accounts that the opening will secure the existence of thousands of families in the entire region, and praised Minister Samak for working on the project in the past six years. "Opening new jobs and moving the economy forward is what solves the problems of our citizens, and will remain our primary focus. This investment is all the more important if we consider that it comes at a time of a difficult political crisis. It proves that we never gave up on fighting for each new job opportunity", said Gruevski.
The Michigan based corporation works with more than 350 car companies and employs 140.000 people across 36 countries. It is ranked 154th on the Fortune 500 list.
