Which German car giant is to arrive to Serbia?

The announcement that there's a possibility of a German automotive company's coming to Serbia has caused quite a stir in the region. The officials do not want to comment on the announcements, not even the hints made by Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic that an important German company will arrive to Serbia. Still, as Novosti learns unofficially, the most likely candidate is MD Elektronik from the German town of Waldkraiburg, which produces data transfer cables and electronic components, among other things.

This Thursday, March 1, 2018, Novosti contacted the Croatian innovator Mate Rimac, who was the first one to reveal that the investment had been agreed, several times. However, he first said that he couldn't say anything new and then, when MD Elektronik was mentioned, apologized and declined to either confirm or deny the findings of Novosti.

While the public is speculating about the name of the company, it is also unclear where the factory might be built. The cities where aircraft used to be made are mentioned as potential locations, namely, Belgrade, Pancevo and Kraljevo.

– Aside from the information that a German company is supposed to arrive to Serbia, I know nothing, not even whether the location in question might be the current location of the Utva plant – said Tomislav Bjelogrlic, director of Utva Pancevo.

The portfolio of MD Elektronik says that the company was founded in 1974 and that it produces various solutions for data transfer in vehicles, that is, cables, computer solutions and similar products. Along with the headquarters in Waldkraiburg, Bavaria, they have seats in the Czech Republic, Beijing, New York and Mexico. The company employs more than 4,600 people worldwide.

MD Elektronik develops and produces data transfer cables and electronic components. They produce cables for automatic high frequencies for antennas, GPS, navigation... They also produce speed, acceleration and brake sensor cables and regulation valves for dampers and electronic parking brake control.

The company opened a test lab in Mexico in 2000. Since 2011, MD Group has been focusing exclusively on the automotive segment. In line with this, the corporation's seat was restructured, and the production network in the Czech Republic expanded to include the logistics center near Plzen. In 2015, they built a new factory in Mexico, which started operating a year later, Novosti reports.

Volkswagen and BMW potential candidates?

Another Novosti source claims that it is not MD Elektronik that is supposed to come to Serbia, but a part of Volkswagen, This has not been officially confirmed, however.

In the meantime, Politika contacted Sandra Schillmoller, the person in charge of product communications at BMW Group, concerning the announcement. She told them that the company was regularly considering various countries as potential destinations for future production locations, but that the final decision on the location for the construction of a new factory had not been reached.

MD Elektronik Germany

Waldkraiburg

Volkswagen

BMW Group

Utva Pancevo

car cables

data transfer cables

electronic car components

production of car cables

production of electronic car components

car production

Mate Rimac

Tomislav Bjelogrlic

Sandra Schillmoller

GPS

navigation

speed sensors

production of speed sensors

automotive industry

car industry

car parts

car components