The Chinese company SHAC will invest 40 million euros in the construction of a plant in Novi Sad, Serbia. The company has already signed an agreement with the German automaker BMW. The plant is expected to open by the end of 2025, with the first serial deliveries to European customers scheduled for the first quarter of 2027.
Other Chinese investment projects in Serbia:
Energy sector: In May 2024, the Serbian Ministry of Mines and Energy signed two agreements with Chinese companies totaling about €2.7 billion. These investments include the construction of an oil and petroleum product refinery in Smederevo and the construction of a solar panel plant in Paracin.
Infrastructure: The Chinese company Shandong High-speed Group is involved in the construction of the Belgrade-Zrenjanin-Novi Sad highway, as well as in the reconstruction project of the Constantine the Great airport in Niš.
Automotive industry: Mei Ta has invested 60 million euros in the construction of a plant for the production of automotive components in Obrenovac.
These projects demonstrate the expansion of Chinese investment in various sectors of the Serbian economy, contributing to industrial development and job creation in the region.
Source: https://t.me/relocationrs/741
MediGroup becomes part of Finnish Mehiläinen in the largest deal on the private healthcare market in Central and Eastern Europe
Finnish medical group Mehiläinen acquires the largest private healthcare network in Serbia, MediGroup, in the largest private healthcare transaction in Central and Eastern Europe.
MediGroup, founded in 2013, comprises 13 clinics, three maternity hospitals, two laboratory centers and three laboratories across Serbia. The network provides a wide range of medical services, including diagnostics, outpatient and inpatient care.
Mehiläinen, a leading Finnish operator of medical services, is already present in the markets of Sweden, Germany and Latvia. The purchase of MediGroup opens up an opportunity for the company to strengthen its position in Southeastern Europe and increase patients’ access to high quality healthcare.
Mikko Vetterviri, Director of Mehiläinen International, said that the move is in line with the company’s strategy of international expansion and introduction of new technologies in medicine. He emphasized that the investment in the Serbian market is driven by its high growth potential and the growing demand for private healthcare.
Closing of the transaction is expected after regulatory approvals. In the future it is planned to modernize MediGroup’s medical centers, expand the range of medical services and introduce digital technologies, which are already used by Mehiläinen’s patients in other countries.
Source: https://t.me/relocationrs/737
In one of the settlements of the Mykolaiv region (Voznesensk district), modern shelters were equipped in a lyceum and a kindergarten with financial support from Serbia. This was part of efforts to protect children and teachers in the context of the military conflict. The shelters are designed for more than 800 lyceum students and more than 90 kindergarten children. The new safe spaces were restored and equipped by the Olena Zelenska Foundation.
The project was funded as part of Serbian humanitarian aid to Ukraine. The shelters are equipped with the necessary conditions for children and staff to stay during air raids. Officials expressed their gratitude to Serbia for its support in a difficult time.
Serbia has already provided humanitarian aid to Ukraine several times. Last year, Belgrade sent several batches of medicines, food, and basic necessities. In addition, Serbia has participated in projects to restore civilian infrastructure and secure humanitarian corridors.
Serbia remains neutral in the military conflict in Ukraine, but continues to support the population of Ukraine through humanitarian initiatives.
Source: https://t.me/relocationrs/666
One of the largest grain market operators in Ukraine, Nibulon JV LLC, is entering new markets in the Middle and Upper Danube, expanding its operations in the region and offering a full cycle of grain and metal exports, as well as cargo transportation of all types of goods via the Danube, the grain trader’s press service reported on Facebook.
The agricultural holding reminded that the first steps in the Middle and Upper Danube markets were voyages with metal products on the routes Izmail – Lom (Bulgaria) and Izmail – Smederevo (Serbia), which were carried out by the tugs Pereyaslavsky and Kozatsky using barges of its own production. These shipments confirmed the company’s readiness to work efficiently with various categories of cargo, opening up new business opportunities in Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania and other countries in the Danube region.
“Our fleet is capable of transporting various types of cargo, and this is just the beginning. We offer comprehensive solutions to the Balkan business: grain exports combined with our logistics on the Danube to Constanta, as well as river transportation of any goods between the ports of the region,” said Sergey Kalkutin, Nibulon’s Logistics Director.
Nibulon assured that expansion to the Middle and Upper Danube is part of the agricultural holding’s long-term strategy aimed at developing international river logistics.
Currently, the agricultural holding is ready to offer a competitive alternative to traditional ways of supplying grain and other cargoes. This includes grain exports to 75 countries using its own river fleet, cargo transportation on the Danube for the agricultural, metallurgical and construction sectors, and flexible terms of cooperation: DAP, EXW, FCA, FOB, real-time online cargo tracking, international experience and reputation as a reliable partner.
“Thanks to its own modern fleet and efficient logistics, Nibulon guarantees stable and safe transportation on the Danube, which opens up access to new markets,” the agricultural holding emphasized.
Nibulon JV LLC was established in 1991. Prior to the Russian military invasion, the grain trader owned 27 transshipment terminals and crop reception complexes, facilities for simultaneous storage of 2.25 million tons of agricultural products, a fleet of 83 vessels (including 23 tugs), and the Mykolaiv Shipyard.
“Before the war, Nibulon cultivated 82 thousand hectares of land in 12 regions of Ukraine and exported agricultural products to more than 70 countries. In 2021, the grain trader exported the highest ever 5.64 million tons of agricultural products, reaching record volumes of supplies to foreign markets in August – 0.7 million tons, in the fourth quarter – 1.88 million tons, and in the second half of the year – 3.71 million tons.
Currently, the grain trader is operating at 32% of capacity, has set up a special unit to clear agricultural land of mines and had to move its headquarters from Mykolaiv to Kyiv.
BULGARIA, CARGO TRANSPORTATION, Danube, NIBULON, ROMANIA, SERBIA
The first container of Serbian goods was shipped to China on Friday as part of the Free Trade Agreement between the two countries, according to the Serbian government website. The container contains products from local companies such as Pionir, Akov, Fruskogorski Vinograd, Vinarija Aleksić, Nutrino, Nash Med, Zarić Rakija, Budimka, and Damar. The transportation was organized by the Milšped company from Krnoševac, near Stara Pazova.
The Minister of Economy Adriana Mesarović noted that this is the result of the hard work of Serbian entrepreneurs, government agencies and Chinese partners, as well as confirmation of the “steel friendship” between China and Serbia. She emphasized that Chinese retailers, importers and distributors have expressed their willingness to accept Serbian products in a market of 1.4 billion consumers.
Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Li Ming said that thanks to the Free Trade Agreement, which entered into force on July 1, 2024, Serbia became China’s first partner in Central and Eastern Europe with such an agreement. He noted that since the agreement came into force, Serbia’s exports to China have increased by 53.7%, and more and more Serbian wines and dairy products are appearing on Chinese tables.
The free trade agreement covers 10,412 Serbian and 8,930 Chinese products. From the first day of application, 60% of the goods were exempted from duties, and over the next five to ten years, another 30% of products will be exempted from customs duties.
Source: https://t.me/relocationrs/633
The Slovenian industrial giant Cimos, known in the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia for the production of Citroën cars, plans to close its plant in Slovenia and move production to Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to Dnevnik, a layoff program has been prepared that does not suit the representatives of the Union of Employees of the Metallurgical and Electrical Industry of Slovenia (SKEI) for the Kras and Primorska and Primorska regions.
According to Saša Ristić, the program was recognized as unprofessional because it did not specify the specific positions that would be retained. He noted that this is the worst layoff program he has ever seen.
Cimos has long been planning to move production to Gradac (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Kikinda (Serbia). However, according to Ristić, this move is controversial because management should have first informed the works council, which did not happen, although the relocation of production is the official reason for the layoffs.
Cimos has had a plant in Hradac for many years. Ristić explained that the upcoming layoffs are also related to the planned relocation of production. He told Dnevnik that the Cimos management requires the trade union and the works council to give their urgent consent to the dismissals.
Of the 175 employees to be laid off, about 120 work in Senožec, while the rest are employed at Cimos’ production sites in Maribor and Vuzenice.
About Cimos
Cimos is a Slovenian company specializing in the production of components for the automotive industry. In 2020, the company was acquired by the German investment fund Mutares.
Financial results
As of 2022, Cimos’s revenue amounted to about 200 million euros. The company continues to work on improving efficiency and expanding production capacity.
Products and customers
Cimos produces a variety of components for the automotive industry, including braking systems, suspensions, and powertrains. The company’s customers include automakers such as Renault, PSA Group and Volkswagen.
Exports.
Cimos products are exported to various European countries, including Germany, France, and Italy.
Source: https://t.me/relocationrs/606
