Bosch starts construction of factory in Pecinci in July 2012 - First phase of work to end by December

Germany's Bosch announced Thursday that the construction of a factory for producing windshield wiping systems for automobiles in Pecinci, worth about EUR 70 million, would be commenced in July 2012.

Robert Bosch CEO Jovanka Jovanovic said that the start of the construction, earlier announced for March 2012, had been postponed because the design for the factory had not been completed.

- A bit more time was needed to finish the design, but now everything is perfectly fine. We've already provided a location permit and the first phase of construction will kick off in July - said Jovanovic.

- The first phase of construction, during which 22,000 square meters of production space will be built, should be completed until as early as December, while the production is expected to start in early 2013, when 60 people will get a job at the factory - Jovanovic added.

She also explained to eKapija that the planned construction of an automotive technology plant in Romania, worth EUR 77 million, was not going to spoil Bosch's plans for Serbia in any way. The factory in Kluj should be put in operation in 2013 and employ about 340 workers.

The second phase of the factory construction in Pecinci will begin in 2016. The plan is to increase the number of workers at that production facility to 620 until 2019.

Last year's revenue of the Bosch Group in Serbia, including its turnover in Montenegro, amounted to the total of EUR 24 million, up by 9% from 2010. In the same period, the number of employees in Serbia grew from 55 to 65.