The plant has run test production since November, while the formal launch will mark the start of large-scale manufacturing for markets in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Russia.

The world's biggest maker of industrial robots, Yaskawa picked Kočevje as its first non-Asian manufacturing location, in what was a EUR 25m investment.

The 10,000 m2 plant is expected to produce 6,000 robots per year with a workforce of around 200.