EMPLOYEES ARE OUR GREATEST ASSET

PIERLUIGI GHIONE, MANAGING DIRECTOR & HEAD OF HEADPLANT, LEONI WIRING SYSTEM SOUTHEAST

With its global production network and technological expertise, Company Leoni is one of the leading manufacturers of wiring systems that help customers build next-generation vehicles. Its Kraljevo production facility is the largest Leoni plant in Serbia

Leoni Serbia takes care of, and invests in its employees, as human resources are seen as the company’s biggest asset. That’s why Leoni organises numerous internal and external training courses and programmes aimed at developing and enhancing talent, but also to encourage the hiring of highly qualified staff

Is it true that Serbia is the only European country in Leoni’s global production network that has four production plants? Have you already become the largest employer in our country’s manufacturing industry?

That is correct. Leoni Serbia is currently the only European entity with four production facilities within the Wiring Systems Division. The company’s management recognised Serbia as not only a great investment destination, but also an opportunity to build and operate at four production plants within a single country. Our first plant, in Prokuplje, was opened in 2009, then came Malošište plant in 2014, and Niš factory in 2017 and, finally, our Kraljevo plant, the construction of which began in 2018. Leoni Serbia currently employs around 13,000 people, which makes us the largest private industrial employer in the country. Moreover, this strengthens Leoni’s position as a high-performance supplier to the international automotive industry.

Is Kraljevo factory, where 50 million euros have been invested, among your largest plants? What kind of capacity does it have?

Leoni has to date invested 55 million euros in the building and equipment for its newest production facility

The construction of the plant began in August 2018 and we have just now, in September 2021, marked its official opening. The entire building spreads over an area of more than 60,000sqm, 45,000sqm of which represents the production area. The business produces harnesses for one of the world’s premium carmakers, with a capacity and planned production of up to 2,000 cable sets per day. Leoni has to date invested 55 million euros in the building and equipment for its newest production facility. Leoni Kraljevo plant currently employs 3,728 people, while at its full capacity (by year’s end 2023), the factory will be employing around 5,000 people. This also makes our Kraljevo production facility the largest Leoni Serbia plant when it comes to the number of employees.

You are proud of your investments in your people and their continuous professional advancement. Does this mean that you consider employees your greatest and most important resource when it comes to ensuring good operations and excellent results?

Leoni Serbia won the People Development Award at our Wiring Systems Division Summit, which also confirms our efforts and the company’s dedication to its employees’ professional advancement and overall progress. The most important share of our successful business operations on a daily basis falls under the category of individual and team accomplishments, without which we would not have reached the company’s scale and business performance that we have today.

FireBox for your safety

The FireBox is tested for power cables of up to 16 mm2 and has been approved for fire and telecommunication cables with a wire diameter of 0.8 mm.

The expanded FireBox product family guarantees the maintaining of electrical function according to DIN 4102 Part 12 in the case of fire.

Both power cables and data cables can be connected or branched, while two different sizes, with six different connection units, provide additional application options. The FireBox is tested for power cables of up to 16 mm2 and approved for fire and telecommunication cables with a wire diameter of 0.8 mm. Thanks to the inclusion of V-TEC cable glands, or flexible plug-in seals, cable insertion is made particularly easy. A simple 90° turn of the corner screws fixes the FireBox lid quickly and simply.

The high temperature-resistant ceramic connection unit of the OBO FireBox is completely preinstalled and, together with the bolt ties, forms a fire protection system that’s tested for the maintaining of function according to DIN 4102 Part 12. As such, it meets the strict requirements for electrical connections of key safety systems. It is no longer necessary to cover metal parts, as the protective conductor terminal is connected to the support clamp. The robust housing, made of halogen-free thermoplastic, can withstand the heaviest loads. It is impactresistant, break-resistant and, with its high IP66 protection rating, provides protection against spray water.

Together with OBO products for individual function maintenance routing, the FireBox offers a unique range of cable routing options, with the maintaining of electrical function for 90 minutes (E90). OBO is one of only a few manufacturers to offer function maintenance systems for the connection, fastening and distribution of power and data cables in cable systems from a single source.

OBO BETTERMANN d.o.o. Stara Pazova 22000 Stara Pazova, Evropska 2 tel: +381(0)22 21 50 346 web: www.obo.rs