BSH Hišni aparati

The Ministry of Economy has signed an agreement with Bosch and Siemens Home Appliances Group and its Slovenian subsidiary BSH Hišni aparati under which the company will get a EUR 7.89m subsidy for a EUR 26.3m worth investment project.

Wide impact

The investment is aimed at expanding and diversifying production of small household appliances at the company plant / factory in the northern town of Nazarje. It will create at least 51 new jobs for technical experts, subsequently also additional employment in production, but will also have wider implications as 50 percent of the suppliers are Slovenian companies.

"The important thing is that the expansion will also include the development division and development activity in Slovenia," Economy Minister Darja Radić says.

According to Rudolf Kloetscher, chief executive of BSH Hišni aparati, the investment "is a recognition that the Slovenian government acknowledges our efforts and the resources that we have invested in the past years and recognizes our potential for the future, worth investing in".

Research cooperation

As a result of the investment, the production premises in Nazarje will be enlarged by 1,300 square metres. The new facilities will mainly serve design construction, laboratories and support services. In addition, the company plans cooperation with the research institute Jožef Stefan and the Faculty of Engineering in Ljubljana. A pre-development unit will be launched in Ljubljana later this year.

The whole investment is due for completion in 2014, and the subsidy will be allocated in three installments.

Slovenian know-how

BSH Hišni aparati is one of Slovenia's most successful companies, generating EUR 271m in revenues last year, up 12 percent on the year before and five percent above targets. Kloetscher calls the first quarter results "very satisfactory".
"The planned investment in this project indicates a long-term interest not only in keeping this location, but also in adding value to Slovenian know-how and human resources," Kloetscher adds.