North Macedonia / Germany –  Earlier this month, BMZ Germany GMBH, a subsidiary of the BMZ Group, a battery manufacturer for commercial vehicles, based in Karlstein am Main, Bavaria, Germany, announced plans for a fifth global factory, this time a EUR 65 million facility in North Macedonia. A contract has been signed with the North Macedonia Free Zones Authority (TIDZ) which has helped with finding suitable land and tax incentives and which is expected to see more than 60 production lines be built by 2028. BMZ stated that it chose a location in North Macedonia for multiple reasons, including its “strategic location in Europe, its investor-friendly policies and the enormous growth opportunities for BMZ.” No specific product details or dates were given by either the company or the North Macedonian authorities.

According to BMZ, the company wants to initially start battery production in a rented building in Skopje whilst three units based on the German factory are to be built in the technological development zone in Skopje. The new battery production plant will create 755 new jobs. Jelica Ivanovska has been named General Manager of BMZ North Macedonia and as project head. Ivanovska has over 20 years of experience in Project Management and Operations with previous experience working in the North Macedonian automotive markets.