35 minute read
BUSINESS DIALOGUE
FME STUDENT EXCELLENCE CENTRE
Where The Engineers Of The Future Develop
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Leaders’
VUJADIN ŠĆEKIĆ,
Director, Jugo-impex d.o.o. Niš
Waste Is A Strategic Raw Material MEETING POINT
TIJANA JOVANOVIĆ,
Director of Free Zone Svilajnac
Investors Recognise A Good Business Environment
DUŠAN RADIČEVIĆ,
Al Dahra Serbia CEO
Alfalfa Will Be Our Export Ace
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FME Student Excellence Centre: Where The Engineers Of The Future Develop
An electric racing car, a solar-powered catamaran for collecting waste along riverbanks, drones, small autonomous robots, detecting cancers and melanomas with the help of light – these are the projects currently being developed by students of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and their peers from other faculties of the University of Belgrade.
With their innovative engineering solutions, these young, creative people are achieving top results at international student competitions and are on a par with the teams of the world’s leading universities. They are actually often also ahead of them. Under the conditions of ever-increasing competition on the international academic scene, with the world’s leading universities innovating their study programmes and introducing content that implies the development of practical abilities, it is very important for Serbia to keep pace with the rest of the world in this area, and to take its place in the highest echelons of higher education. One way of achieving this is precisely by supporting young and talented students in working on tangible projects that enable them to develop the necessary skills and successfully implement their ideas on the market.
In order for creative academics to enable this, the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering established its Student Excellence Centre. This provides future engineers with space to create and further develop their ideas, and to ultimately convert them into genuine product prototypes.
The Student Excellence Centre is housed in the “old building” of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Ruzveltova Street. There are five student teams currently working in this renovated and modern-equipped space, which encompasses an area of 500m2. Apart from FME students, projects also include the participation of academics from other faculties of the University of Belgrade – Electrical Engineering, Technology and Metallurgy, Architecture, Law, Economics, Organisational Sciences – as well as the Military Academy, the Academy of Applied Arts and others. In that sense, the Student Excellence Centre has great importance not only for the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, but also for the entire University of Belgrade.
“ROAD ARROW” – BIRTH OF THE AGE OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES IN SERBIA
The team that has the longest tradition is called Road Arrow - the first and most successful Formula Student team in Serbia. These young fans of Formula 1 have already spent ten years been designing and building racing cars for Formula Student competitions held across Europe. They have under their belt eight racing cars with internal combustion engines and more than 20 competitions at which they achieved enviable results, recognition and praise from experts of the world’s leading automotive industry players.
The COVID-19 Pandemic led to last year’s competition plans being postponed, but that didn’t discourage these talented youngsters from dedicating themselves to new challenges. They are currently finalising testing of their vehicle for the 2021 season, during which they are awaited by four competitions – in Italy, Hungary, the regional competition in Croatia and the most prestigious competition held in Austria, on the famous Red Bull Ring circuit.
The Road Arrow team is this season
premiering its first electric-powered Formula Student class vehicle, for the purposes of which the team developed unique lithium-polymer batteries and other original solutions. The team will compete in the competition of internal combustion engine Formula vehicles with its ninth successive racing car, which has a significantly improved performance as a result of the application of the most innovative construction design and technological solutions.
“BEOAVIA” – THE HOPE OF SERBIAN AVIATION
Beoavia is a student team that deals with the design, development and production of unmanned aerial vehicles, aka drones, for international competitions in the domain of
aviation. The team recently qualified for the finals of the Airbus Sloshing Rocket Competition 2021. Its “Aurora 2” rocket solution was declared the best in the first round of this competition, which included 20 competing teams from around the world.
Members of the Beoavia team are also engaged in two other projects. The project with the symbolic name “Phoenix” is developing a cargo UAV for Munich’s “Air Cargo Challenge 2021” competition. Presenting a special challenge for the team is its project to develop a solid-propellant rocket, called “Pupin K12”, with which it will make its debut at the upcoming Teknofest in Turkey.
“CONFLUENCE BELGRADE” – SERBIAN SHIPBUILDING ENGINEERS
The future shipbuilding engineers who are gathered together in the Confluence Belgrade team are working on the development of advanced, energy efficient and environmentally friendly vessels. They are extremely proud of their first projects: the electric-powered boats “Sava” and “Danube”. These projects brought the team numerous medals at the prestigious “Hydrocontest” international competition, where they won first place in the category of heavy-lift cargo ships in 2018.
The members of this team are currently working on the “Sava Eco” project, which is developing a solar-powered catamaran intended to collect refuse and other waste from rivers and other bodies of water and their shores.
ROBOTOID - TEAM THAT MAKES AUTONOMOUS ROBOTS
The students of the University of Belgrade Faculty of Mechanical Engineering who come together in the Robotoid team are working to develop and produce small, autonomous mobile robots for EUROBOT - an international contest in the field of robotics. The team secured sixth place at this year’s national competition, held in Novi Sad, in competition against the country’s 11 best teams.
Designing and building an autonomous mobile robot is a very serious and demanding undertaking for students who exert a lot of effort to raise their device to a competitive level. There are numerous challenges to overcome… In order to be able to participate in the contest, robots must go through so-called homologation. This means confirming their complete autonomy in terms of energy and operation, as well as the ability to perform tasks and solve emerging situations independently.
“BMI/ZEPTOHYPERTECH” - LIGHT AS MEDICINE
The young researchers included in the BMI/ ZeptoHyperTech team are working on the development of innovative products in the field of biomedical engineering that are intended to improve both health and quality of life. The research is focused on the quality of air, water, food, dynamic human activities etc.
They are currently working on the early detecting of cancers and melanomas with the help of light, the therapeutic effects of light, the impact of negative ultraviolet and blue light radiation, the improving of existing air and water purifiers and food preparation processes, the structures of various types of beds for patients and several orthopaedic aids.
THE AIM IS TO EDUCATE TOP ENGINEERS
“Since its establishment, the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering has been providing its students with top theoretical knowledge. However, in the world of high technologies, that is no longer sufficient. A contemporary engineer must also possess practical abilities, as well as other professional and personal skills. It is expected that education encourage innovation, creativity and the entrepreneurial spirit among young people. That’s precisely why we established the Student Excellence Centre. Our maxim is “THE STUDENT AT THE CENTRE OF LEARNING”, while the aim is to educate top experts who will be ready to respond to future technical and technological challenges, says Radivoje
Mitrović Ph.D., Dean of the Faculty of
Mechanical Engineering.
CREATORS OF THE FUTURE
“Road Arrow is a team of students, but, for me, these young people are already proven engineers, economists, marketing experts etc. I’ve watched them in action during competitions across Europe, when their performances raised my professorial pride, but also our national pride, to the maximum limits. First and foremost, they demonstrated superior innovation in their technical solutions, limitless resourcefulness in their economic analyses of the project and unprecedented authoritativeness in design presentations. It is due precisely to their enthusiasm, strength of will and engineering enthusiasm that they are the agents in the fantastic future that I see when I’m with them. It is a privilege and an honour to be their mentor,” says
Marko Miloš Ph.D., mentor of the Road
Arrow Formula Student team.
LOCAL NEWS
“The Census of Serbian agriculture will be implemented in 2023, and the results of the Census will be published in 2024” ~ BRANISLAV NEDIMOVIĆ, MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND WATER ECONOMY
EUROBANK AND DIREKTNA BANKA ANNOUNCE AGREEMENT ON MERGING IN SERBIA
Following the merger of Eurobank and Direktna Banka, the combined bank will have total assets in excess of €2bn and the market share exceeding 6.5%, making it the seventh largest in Serbia. After the completion of the transaction, Eurobank will control c. 70% of the combined bank, while Direktna’s shareholders will own the remaining 30%. Both parties have committed to a growthoriented business plan, incorporating ambitious expansion targets that will allow the combined bank to finance the Serbian economy and grow profitably in the next few years.
VINCI AIRPORTS MODERNISES AND IMPROVES THE QUALITY OF SERVICE AT BELGRADE AIRPORT
At an official ceremony held at Belgrade airport, Ana Brnabić, Prime Minister of Serbia, Nicolas Notebaert, CEO of VINCI Concessions and President of VINCI Airports, and François Berisot, CEO of Belgrade airport, presented the advanced stage of the airport’s extension and modernisation plan and celebrated its first-ever Service Quality award, in the presence of Olivier Jankovec, ACI Europe Director General. The works are progressing as planned, including the upgrade and extension of the existing terminal. With a total surface area of 12,000m² and a smart flow management system, the new Pier C terminal extension will be fully completed by the end of this year.
By signing the contract, the integration was finalised of two major medical systems - Turkish Acibadem, and Bel Medic. The contract was signed by the owners and the founders of Bel Medic Jasmina and Milan Knežević and the owner and the founder of Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydınlar. Thus, Acibadem became the majority owner of Bel Medic, leading private health institutions in Serbia with a tradition of 26 years. In the future, it will operate under the name “Acıbadem Bel Medic”, and the co-owner and the General Manager, will be Dr. Jasmina Knežević.
Tanjug/Zoran Zestic
MTU BREAKS GROUND ON NEW FACILITY IN SERBIA – MARKING €100 MILLION INVESTMENT
Leading German aircraft engine manufacturer MTU Aero Engine started the construction of its new repair facility at an industrial park in the Municipality of Stara Pazova, near Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport. The MTU Maintenance Serbia investment project is worth €100.9 million and will create around 400 new jobs in the first phase. The project is extremely important from the aspect of technology and the impact it can have on the further development of the aerospace industry in Serbia, as well as the education of future professionals in this particular industry.
“We provide resources and encouragement, but the Serbian government and people are taking a leadership role in deciding how best to use these resources” ~ BARON LOBSTEIN, ECONOMIC SECTION CHIEF, U.S.
EMBASSY TO SERBIA
SERBIA GETS OPPORTUNITY TO COOPERATE WITH GOLDMAN SACHS
Prime Minister Ana Brnabić stated during her visit to the U.S. that Serbia has been given the opportunity to cooperate with one of the most powerful investment groups in the world, Goldman Sachs, which it will use. PM Brnabić, who spoke with Goldman Sachs President David Solomon, emphasised that the presence of Goldman Sachs gives a completely different level of respect and credibility to the country. “We tried to bring Goldman Sachs to Serbia, it seems that we have succeeded for now, on a small scale. We managed to agree on a small joint project,” she explained.
The new headquarters of Delta Holding, the Delta house office building, was opened in the presence of guests from the business and public life of Serbia. Delta’s new headquarters, Delta House with its 23,000 square feet and 13 floors, is located next to the Crown Plaza Hotel which is also owned by Delta Holding. On the ground floor of the building are meeting rooms, restaurants for employees and a fitness and health zone. The floors are intended for renting business space, while the upper floors will be the working space of Delta Holding and member companies.
postings Placements &
appointments@aim.rs DRAGAN STOKIĆ, NEW PRESIDENT OF THE FRENCH-SERBIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, CCIFS
The French-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, France’s largest business association in the region, will be led over the next three years by Dragan Stokić (CEO of Atos SEE) and Philippe Thiel (Suez Country Manager for Serbia), as president and vice president respectively. Stokić, who was elected CCIFS president unanimously, heads up operations in the region of Southeast Europe for ATOS, a global leader in the field of digital transformations that boasts 100,000 employees in 73 countries, generating an annual turnover of 10 billion euros. Stokić has amassed over 25 years of experience in the IT industry, having advanced from engineering posts to the highest management positions. An active member of the CCIFS Board of Directors since 2019, he succeeds Schneider Electric’s Dragoljub Damljanović, who led the CCIFS over the previous two terms.
Vladislav Cvetković, director of Advisory Services at PricewaterhouseCoopers, has become the new President of the NALED Management Board, in accordance with a decision taken at the constitutive session of the new convocation. Over the next four years, the functions of vice presidents will be performed by Hisense Gorenje Europe Executive Vice President Stanka Pejanović, as the representative of the economy, Kragujevac Mayor Nikola Dašić, as the representative of local governments, and Pexim Foundation Director Tijana Gajić, as the representative of the civil sector. Cvetković has amassed vast experience in the areas of financial consulting, banking system reform and privatisation. He worked for Deloitte during the second half of the 1990s, only for the beginning of the country’s transition to see him engaged at the National Bank of Serbia and the Deposit Insurance Agency, as an advisor to the governor, a leading advisor for bank privatisation and a member of the NBS Council. He also served as director of the Privatisation Agency, where he managed, among other things, the largest privatisation project in Serbia (Telenor’s acquisition of operator Mobi63). He has also lectured in the Business Finance and Accounting Department of the Faculty of Economics at the University of Belgrade.
KATARINA EGOROVA, NEW REGIONAL DIRECTOR/CEO OF IKEA SOUTHEAST EUROPE
IKEA Southeast Europe (Croatia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Ukraine) has announced that Katarina Egorova will take over the role of regional director/CEO and managing director for sustainable development at the company, as of 1st September. Katarina has amassed great experience working for IKEA since first joining the company in Russia, in 1998. She performed various functions on the Russian market, including the role of store manager, before transferring to the UK and taking on the function of market manager for the territory of the northern UK and Ireland. Egorova replaces Sara del Fabro, who vacates the position of CEO at IKEA Southeast Europe after having accepted a new challenge within the scope of the company, as deputy head of global retail operations at Ingka Group.
Waste Is A Strategic Raw Material
As a company that was founded during the time of the former Yugoslavia, 31 years ago, Niš-based Jugo-impex isn’t relinquishing its position as a leader in the sector of collecting and processing raw materials. It is also a leader in the Balkans when it comes to the recycling of electrical and electronic waste, with 10,000 to 14,000 tons recycled annually
When it comes to recycling, we must all work a lot, learn, raise the level of responsibility and professionalism in the administrative part of the country, and use regulations and standards to lay the foundations for quality and a better tomorrow, says Jugo-impex Director Vujadin Šćekić in this interview for CorD Magazine.
Your company is among the pioneers in the collecting and processing of raw materials, and in the recycling of electrical and electronic waste. Would it be correct to say that surviving and succeeding hasn’t been easy?
Our company has existed for 31 years. I founded it during the time of the former Yugoslavia. It has changed many countries, many laws and tax systems, but to this day it has the same ID number. We have been dealing with recycling since 1994, while Erecycling emerged in 2010. It is specific in that it deals exclusively with the recycling of electrical and electronic waste, and we are the leader of the Balkans in that area, handling 10,000 to 14,000 tons of electrical and electronic waste annually. We are also dealing with both new regulations and administrative problems. We have grown accustomed to having to adapt to these demands, conditions and permits.
And our parent company, Jugo-impex, is linked exclusively to the processing of non-ferrous metals. In that domain we work on products for export, working a lot with industrial waste, importing raw materials from the region and processing and marketing them on the European market.
We have between 90 and 110 employees at Jugo-impex, and between 220 and 300 in E-recycling, depending on current needs. Our workers don’t leave Jugo-impex, unless they are taking on better paid managerial positions abroad, so we have employees who’ve been with us since the company’s first day, but also those who left the company to go into retirement and who we invite – like members of our family – to all company celebrations.
Things are changing for the better from year to year. Can this process be sped up?
The economic environment is improving, investments in infrastructure are being made and new factories and plants are being opened, which naturally bring benefits to our industry. Today’s market is also much larger, so the labour market is improving. There is rising awareness of ecology, of the importance of protecting the environment
in which we live, but we should be aware of the fact that we must accept and change some things, because reality will force us to look at the actual state of affairs. The Smederevo Steelworks is designed to smelt iron ore to produce steel, but it doesn’t do that. Rather it only melts secondary raw materials, because there is no iron ore. Ore minerals are a disappearing limited resource, which is why we will have to replace them with secondary raw materials and seek new bases of raw materials from recycling. Many of these items are more expensive when sourced from recycling, but you have no choice when you lack something you need. There will be no antimony in the mines in 20-25 years, so we will only be able to source it from recycling, while zinc will disappear in 40 years, and life is impossible without it.
Investing in ecology isn’t a cost, rather it is an investment in health. You know that, when you reduce pollution, you consequently reduce the long-term costs of healthcare. We must view ecology as preventive healthcare. We would like all that to change faster, for us to increase responsibility at all levels, in every segment of society. Then the results would come by themselves.
When will we finally start treating waste as a raw material that can be processed into a marketable product?
Not all waste, as it is said, can be placed in the same basket, because there are thousands and thousands of categories – from industrial waste, via raw materials and construction waste, to household waste. And, in legislative terms, we’ve legislatively categorised many of these types of waste where they don’t belong, which is understandable on one hand and not on the other, because if we’re striving to develop, we must liberalise internal trade and determine, as a state, what is a strategic raw material for the country.
Non-ferrous metals are a strategic raw material worldwide, even in our country, and trade in them among large companies is classed exclusively as a product, and in no way as a raw material. You can’t easily buy that kind of waste in Austria, Germany or Italy, you can only sell it. This only shows that developed countries take care of their resources, and we also need to start taking care of our own resources. We issue export licenses for many things that we have sufficient processing capacities to handle, so we export the raw material instead of exporting a product, which is not good for us. We need to introduce quotas, introduce order and establish a clear system in order for it to be known what can be exported, and to what extent.
We also need to open a complete investment cycle for the processing of all other waste that’s classed as hazardous. There are thousands of different types of waste that cannot be recycled and they will be used as energy sources. For example, tyres that are 20 years old cannot be recycled and must be used as an energy source. Everything that has high calorific values should be used to generate energy from waste. This is done well in our country by cement plants, which have monitors on their chimneys and take care not to pollute the air.
Do we have sufficient processing capacities?
When it comes to metal waste, I think there is a plenty of iron and that we still don’t have sufficient capacities for the full amount, but we certainly have the capacity for all metals, all metal raw materials, except aluminium. There is much more aluminium waste than the two existing factories are able to process. If we had a development strategy, we could very quickly open new plants. This is achieved by granting administrative incentives or some other breaks, which would certainly pay off, because why we would pay 100 euros for the transport of a ton of aluminium to sell instead of processing it here? Finding a market for products used to be a problem, but that’s no longer the case today, with so many factories and the auto industry. That’s why it’s important for professional associations and the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Serbia to take a strategic approach regarding which products can be exported and which should be processed here.
How important is Business Club Naissus for the economy of the city of Niš, the region of Southern Serbia and the country as a whole, but also for all businesspeople and entrepreneurs? What will it bring you?
We founded it five years ago and it has grown and strengthened, little by little, so that it today has 28-30 companies that have existed for a long time and are respected in their industries. The goal isn’t to achieve mass membership, on the contrary. The admission criteria are very serious. One must go through several levels of selection to join. The club accepts one to two new members a year, and a maximum of three. It is important for us that those are people who have behind them works, who are respected by both their buyers and suppliers, that they enjoy a good reputation among partners, that they work on creating a better economic environment and that they cooperate with the city administration... I hope that Business Club Naissus will quickly become an important partner of the local government and a driver of development, because the goal of the people gathered together in the Club is for life in our city to be better, higher quality and healthier.
It’s important to take a strategic approach regarding which products can be exported and which should be processed here in Serbia
REGIONAL NEWS
“The Youth Guarantee has been a useful tool for facilitating the labour market integration of young people in the EU. In Slovenia, we have been effectively implementing it since 2014” ~ JANEZ CIGLER KRALJ,
SLOVENIAN MINISTER OF LABOUR, FAMILY, SOCIAL AFFAIRS AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
ROAMING FREE REGION WITH EU SUPPORT
The “Roam Like at Home” regime in the Western Balkans enters into force. From 1 July, all roaming costs within the region will be eliminated. This is a historic achievement of cooperation amongst the telecom Ministries and Independent Regulators of the region, supported by the European Commission, and a stepping-stone in the digital transformation of the region. The benefits this Agreement brought in the previous, gradual cost-reduction phases from July 2019 until today were tangible across the region, leading to a significant cost reduction of roaming, cross-border calls, messaging and data transmission, thus supporting individual users, businesses and operators alike and strengthening intra-regional digital connectivity.
On 15 July, the Croatian Parliament announced that it has adopted the Waste Management Act. According to a press release, the act was approved by a majority vote, with 75 votes in favour, 2 abstentions, and 43 votes against. By adopting the Waste Management Act, Croatia seeks to ban the sale of single-use plastic products such as cotton buds, straws, and cutlery made of plastic etc. According to the Croatian Parliament, states and counties will now be responsible for drafting a waste management plan. Prior to the adoption of this new law, only local government units have been obliged to outline such plans.
NORTH MACEDONIA COMMITS TO EXITING COAL BY 2027
North Macedonia will be the first country in the Western Balkans to quit coal. The country will close its two coal plants by 2027, a date that is compatible with the UN Paris climate agreement. North Macedonia signed up to the Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA), a coalition of national and sub-national governments, businesses and organisations working to advance the transition from coal power generation to clean energy. Another Western Balkans country, Montenegro, has also joined the alliance, but its 2035 phase out plan overshoots UN Paris climate agreement compatibility by five years.
“The EU bank is looking forward to cooperating with the European Commission, fellow financiers and the Western Balkans partners on the roll out of the Commission’s €9 billion Economic and Investment Plan for the region” ~ WERNER HOYER,
PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN INVESTMENT BANK (EIB)
EBRD BACKS LANDMARK BOND ISSUED BY ROMANIAN REAL ESTATE INVESTOR
In a fresh boost to Romania’s capital markets, the EBRD has invested €50 million in a €550 million bond issued by Globalworth Real Estate Investments, a real estate investment company focused on the Romanian market. Globalworth is the largest office-property owner and developer in Romania, investing in a diversified portfolio of properties located primarily in Romania, but also in the broader south-eastern European (SEE) region and in central and eastern Europe (CEE). Its shares are listed on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM), the London Stock Exchange’s international market for growing companies.
Bulgaria has begun construction of the longest tunnel in the Balkans, as part of the railway between Sofia and the Bulgarian Black Sea city of Bourgas. The tunnel is located about 30 kilometres from Sofia in a mountainous area and is 6.8 kilometres long, making it twice as long as Bulgaria’s current longest tunnel, in Koznitsa. It is part of a major project to modernise the Trakia railway from Sofia to Bourgas, which has been under construction for 15 years. The hopes are that the project will be completed by 2030. The funds are provided by the EU Operational Programme, Transport. The contract for the construction of the tunnel is worth €300 million, and construction is being carried out by Turkish companies involved in the construction of the new airport in Istanbul.
HUNGARY’S 4IG SIGNS AGREEMENT TO BUY TELENOR MONTENEGRO
4iG, Hungarian IT service management company, has signed a non-binding agreement to acquire Telenor Montenegro from PPF Group, 4iG said in a statement. Both parties agreed to close the transaction by 30 November of this year, subject to the approval of the Montenegrin authorities. “The acquisition of Telenor Montenegro is in line with 4iG’s regional expansion strategy, and the Target’s solid background and market position, as well as its strong revenue-generating capacity, can bring high added value to our Group,” said Gellert Jaszai, CEO-Chairman of 4iG.
Investors Recognise A Good Business Environment
With clear goals and major sacrifices, the Municipality of Svilajnac has spent more than a decade working to strengthen its economy, entice investors and create a favourable climate for local and foreign investors
Our business policy is for us to continue attracting investors and we are open to all companies wanting to launch their production operations at Free Zone Svilajnac – a place that has the most favourable conditions for doing business, says Free Zone
Svilajnac Director Tijana Jovanović
When Free Zone Svilajnac opened 10 years ago, few believed that it would possible to achieve the kind of results that you’ve managed...
We equipped two industrial zones, changed educational profiles, successfully implemented dual education in high schools, created a sufficiently qualified and professional workforce and fulfilled all preconditions to attract local and foreign investors, thereby gaining the status of the economic leader of the Pomoravlje District.
Renowned world brands operate successfully in our zone, but also numerous domestic investors, all of which together ensure that Svilajnac has an economy that’s stable and ever more successful. Testifying to this is the constant growth of economic activity and the foreign trade surplus, which exceeded 15 million dollars in 2020. The number of companies operating under the regime of the free zone is increasing year on year, while existing investors are also expanding their production operations.
What makes Free Zone Svilajnac so unique?
The municipality of Svilajnac has an excellent geostrategic and transport position, located as it is just six kilometres from PanEuropean Corridor 10 and Highway E75. It is the only municipality in the Pomoravski District to have established a Free Zone with fiscal, financial and customs incentives and operational benefits. It currently encompasses two functional industrial zones, on an area of around 60 hectares, that are fully equipped in term of infrastructure and utilities.
Dual education is being implemented successfully in our high schools, in accordance with the requirements of the economy and the interests of future students.
Investors also know that they have the full support of the local government, before, during, but also after the launch of their operations in Svilajnac, because the municipal administration is fast, professional and efficient.
Both large and small investors choose their business environment. Which renowned brand was the first to come to Svilajnac and which ones followed that example?
Vossloh-Schwabe is a German company that has spent more than a decade operating in Svilajnac. It is not only the first arrival, but also our biggest partner, because - with around 500 employees - it represents a pillar of the Svilajnac economy. This company recently bought another hectare of land and is planning to relocate its production to Svilajnac. The largest domestic company, Alfa technics, currently has around 300 employees and is constructing another production and business facility, while there is also Italian company S.H.E. Superior Heating Elements (Ariston). This represents one of the most significant investments, both because it is a world-famous brand and because it has expanded on its initial plan and now has a production hall covering more than 4,000m2 .
Our new foreign investor is Swiss company Regent lighting, which produces industrial lighting. It has built a 6,000m2 factory and will build the same again in the second phase, while its plan is to have more than 250 employees in the next two years. There is also German company A 2000, which produces electronic components, devices and systems. It bought a hectare of land and built a production plant covering around 1,500m2, while another German company, HDT, built a production plant of about 1,300m2 on the hectare of land that it bought from us, where it will produce electronic measuring instruments.
Alfalfa Will Be Our Export Ace
Since procuring the assets of PKB, Al Dahra has modernised its plants, machinery and tools, and invested 50 million euros to improve production, while it will invest another 20 million euros over the next three years
MThe most modern factory for the processing of alfalfa has been built, and 40 people will be employed to work there immediately, because Al Dahra – as a global player – has secured its market. Trial production is planned for this September, with the factory set to start operating at full capacity next year.
In the less than three years since PKB was procured, plants, machines and tools have been modernised, while production processes have been improved and modernised. Everything is different today...
To start, I would just like to say that we, as AL Dahra, bought the assets of PKB and not PKB as a company. In a relatively short period, almost 50 million euros was invested in renewing equipment and machinery, as well as in the plant for processing alfalfa. Specifically, the machines purchased together with the rest of PKB’s assets were in a pretty poor condition and it wasn’t possible to achieve efficiency through the application of new technologies with such equipment. Over the next three years, we plan to invest an additional 20 million euros in machines that are used in crop farming.
When it comes to the alfalfa factory, the plan is to develop intensive and longstanding cooperation with the farmers that surround our facility, in order to additionally engage the factory so that it operates in three shifts. Apart from all of that, we are also committed to irrigation and drainage projects, because sustainable agricultural production is only possible if drainage and irrigation systems exist. Initial estimates suggest that our in-
vestment in these systems will total more than 75 million euros.
There is also a third segment of our operations: milk production, in which we also plan significant investments over the next year. We are additionally considering the construction of a biogas facility.
The investment in drainage and irrigation systems, which represents an extremely complex and expensive project, will exceed 75 million euros
When you were appointed as the new CEO half a year ago, you presented very ambitious plans for the company. Do you still possess that initial enthusiasm?
All investments are unfolding according to plan, in principle. The alfalfa factory is the first to be made operational, and that’s something we’re very proud of. That was an extremely challenging project, bearing in mind the equipment arriving from various countries. And despite everything, operations at the factory are starting on time and we expect to export the first quantities of product this year. The entire production is intended for export.
We aren’t lacking in enthusiasm, because we see the results of the more than thousand people who work at Al Dahra every day. Thus, today, for the first time in 30 years, the citizens of Vrbovsko can open their windows and breathe air that doesn’t have an unpleasant odour. We treated the canals so that there are no more unpleasant odours and, more importantly, life has returned to them. We have cleared a major dump that was located on one of our fields, while we are currently planning to clean another. We won’t stop there. We’re planning more activities.
You are focused on investing in a new alfalfa plant, an animal fodder factory and the modernisation of dairy farms. How much will that increase your yields and revenue?
Through investments related to crop farming, we plan to increased yields by 10% to 50% depending on the crop, which will allow us to generate profits that are acceptable to a company of this size. Our idea is to take a company with heavy losses, which we inherited in a way, and create a profitable and sustainable company.
WORLD NEWS
LUFTHANSA WILL NO LONGER ADDRESS PASSENGERS AS ‘LADIES AND GENTLEMEN’
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome on board,” will soon be things of the past on Lufthansa flights. The German flag carrier plans to use gender-neutral language. The change would apply to all airlines operated by the Lufthansa Group, including Austrian Airlines, Swiss and Eurowings. Diversity isn’t just an empty phrase, but is a reality for Lufthansa, Anja Stenger, the company’s spokeswoman, told DW. Lufthansa crews would now use gender-neutral phrases such as “Dear guests,” “Good morning/evening” or simply “Welcome on board.” The decision on how to address passengers will ultimately be made by the crew, who were informed about the change in May. The change is effective immediately. “I am often asked if I will ‘return to cryptocurrency’ or begin regularly sharing my thoughts on the topic again. My answer is a wholehearted ‘no” ~ JACKSON PALMER, CO-CREATOR OF DOGECOIN
JOHNSON & JOHNSON RECALLING SUNSCREENS DUE TO BENZENE TRACES
Johnson & Johnson said that it is recalling five of its sunscreen products after some samples were found to contain low levels of benzene, a chemical that can cause cancer with repeated exposure. The affected products, packaged in aerosol cans, are Aveeno Protect + Refresh aerosol sunscreen, and four Neutrogena sunscreen versions: Beach Defense aerosol sunscreen, CoolDry Sport aerosol sunscreen, Invisible Daily Defense aerosol sunscreen and UltraSheer aerosol sunscreen. The recall includes all can sizes and all levels of sun protection factor, or SPF. The products were distributed nationwide through retailers. The health care giant said the benzene was found after testing by the company and an independent laboratory. It is investigating how the chemical got into the products.
CHINESE TECH GIANTS LOOK TO MAKE BUSINESS CHANGES IN BID TO PREEMPT REGULATORS
Chinese technology giants are looking to make changes to their business models and working practices in order to preempt moves by regulators as authorities crackdown on the once free-wheeling sector. In the past year, regulators have introduced new rules in areas from anti-monopoly for internet companies to data security, targeting large tech firms. And punishment has come swiftly. Ant Group’s record-breaking initial public offering was pulled by regulators in November, while Alibaba was slapped with a $2.8 billion fine as a result of an anti-monopoly probe. Ride-hailing giant Didi meanwhile, became the subject of a cybersecurity review days after its massive U.S. IPO. And China’s top cyberspace regulator ordered app stores this month to suspend Didi from being downloaded.
“The next generation is impatient. And they’re going to hold us increasingly accountable. We all need to respond to that” ~ SUNDAR PICHAI, CEO OF
SINGAPORE’S ECONOMY ROARS BACK WITH A 14.3% SURGE IN THE SECOND QUARTER FROM A YEAR AGO
Singapore recorded its strongest economic growth in 11 years in the second quarter of 2021, rebounding from its worst economic slump on record a year ago due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Southeast Asian economy surged 14.3% in the second quarter compared with the same period a year ago, according to advance estimates by the Ministry of Trade and Industry. That performance slightly exceeded the 14.2% year-on-year jump forecast by analysts in a Reuters poll. “The strong growth was largely due to the low base in the second quarter of 2020 when GDP fell by 13.3 per cent due to the Circuit Breaker (CB) measures implemented from 7 April to 1 June 2020,” the ministry said in a statement. Circuit breaker refers to the partial lockdown implemented in Singapore, when large parts of the economy were shut to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
ERICSSON HITS CHINESE WALL
Shares in the $40 billion Swedish telecoms-kit maker fell 9% after its secondquarter earnings showed that sales shrank for the first time in three years. Most of the hit came from a 60% revenue slump in China, which three months ago accounted for 8% of sales. The worst-case scenario for Chief Executive Borje Ekholm, who has tried to avoid getting sucked into East-West rivalries, is Beijing red-carding Ericsson in reaction to Sweden doing the same to Chinese rival Huawei Technologies. That would lop a permanent 8% off Ekholm’s top line and almost as much from his earnings.
FORD RECALLING 775,000 SUVS FOR STEERING ISSUE LINKED TO SIX INJURIES
Ford Motor Co said in a statement it was recalling about 775,000 Ford Explorer SUVs worldwide for a steering issue linked to reports of six injuries in North America. The recall covers 2013-2017 model year vehicles that may experience a seized cross-axis ball joint that could cause a fractured rear-suspension toe link, which could significantly diminish steering control, increasing the risk of a crash. The recall covers 676,152 vehicles in North America, 59,935 in China and 38,600 elsewhere. The U.S. vehicles are in high-rust states. Owner notifications will begin in late August. Dealers will inspect cross-axis ball joints and replace if needed and replace the toe links with a revised part.
