Saint Gobain buys Topola-based Karbon factory

(Karbon factory in Topola)

France's Saint Gobain Weber, one of the world's leading manufacturers of building materials, said in a release on November 14th that it had bought the private factory Karbon in Topola, without revealing the acquisition price.

Minister of Regional Development and Local Government Verica Kalanovic pointed out that the arrival of that renowned company in Serbia would bring new quality not only to the assortment of building materials, but also to the transfer of knowledge to local experts in that field.

She stressed that the Serbian government was making substantial efforts to provide the companies investing in our country with benefits and incentives, as well as to conduct significant reforms to improve business environment.

Karbon currently employs about 70 workers. Representatives of Saint Gobain Weber underlined that they would not lay off any employee, but hire new ones. This company also announced new investments, primarily in the renovation of existing facilities.

Saint Gobain Weber Serbia CEO Milan Lukic recalled that that company had been operating in Serbia for five consecutive years through three subsidiaries - Isover, Rigips and Weber, which employed more than 100 workers, most of whom were working at Weber. This company also operates in neighboring countries - Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia...

Lukic noted that before acquiring the factory in Topola, that company had invested in Apatin in 2007 and in Novi Sad in 2008.

He also said that Saint Gobain Weber had reported a EUR 10 million turnover in Serbia in 2011, whereas Karbon's turnover had amounted to EUR 7 million that year, so that he expected the total turnover in 2012 upon the acquisition to come close to EUR 17 million.