Yaskawa confirms Slovenia investment, location yet to be picked
The EUR 25m investment will create 170-200 jobs and Slovenia will support it with an incentive of 20-25% of the project value, Kosler told the STA after the company presented its plans at Frankfurt Airport.
The new plant is expected to launch test production at the end of 2018 and to become fully operational in 2019. A robotics R&D centre will also be set up, staffed mainly by Slovenian experts.
The plant is initially expected to produce 4,000 robots per year, with its final capacity at 6,000. The actual volume will be dictated by the market, Kosler said.
News about Yaskawa's investment was revealed in October by Prime Minister Miro Cerar, after he paid a visit to Japan. Slovenia was under consideration along with Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland.
Yaskawa is the world's largest maker of industrial robots and has been present in Slovenia for over two decades and owns the Ribnica-based companies Yaskawa Ristro and Yaskawa Slovenija.
Media reports suggest the new plant will not necessarily be built in Ribnica, as Murska Sobota in the east of the country is also an option.