According to member of Serioplast's management board Marco Chiodi, the expansion to Maribor is an important step for the group that started as a small company 43 years ago and has since grown into an international group present in 12 countries across the world.

He pointed out that the Henkel's presence in Maribor contributed to the decision to come to Slovenia's second largest city, while foreign investment-friendly environment also played a huge role.

The expansion was decided on in February, while the group with annual revenue of around EUR 276m is now already gearing up to launch production in rented premises that could be bought off in the future. Chiodi stressed that the group had never before decided so quickly to move to a new location.

Head of Serioplast's project in Slovenia Silvio Soldi meanwhile said that the group would invest some EUR 7.5m in the production with the investment repaying in seven to eight years.

"We are very happy to come here, mostly because of the location and because we know that Slovenia and Maribor especially have a strong industrial past, which makes it easier to find suitable and experienced workforce," Soldi pointed out.

The arrival of Serioplast was also welcomed by Maribor Mayor Andrej Fištravec, who praised the municipality's foreign investment task force for their efforts, including in helping the investors find suitable premises and aiding them in setting up the company in Slovenia.