Prievidza/Slovakia
Rapid expansion of airfield in Prievidza
President Andrej Kiska personally visited the new Brose location in Central Slovakia to see how the construction progress is coming along. Executive vice president Kurt Sauernheimer and general manager Axel Mallener explained the settlement plans to the head of state. Kiska expressed his support for a rapid expansion of commercial airfield in the direct vicinity of the Brose site.
The foundation for this has already been laid in collaboration with the Ministry of Economy: a 1,500 meter runway will be paved and lighting installed next year. Plans also include infrastructure improvements for the refueling of aircraft. The possibility of instrument flight control is said to be under review as well. The measures will be implemented within seven months and cost about three million euros. Brose is co-financing the project with 1.5 million euros.
“We are pleased that the Slovakian government is promoting transportation infrastructure in Prievidza quickly and without any red tape. Brose will benefit from this greatly since Prievidza is a two-hour drive from the nearest airport in Bratislava and is currently difficult to reach for fast passenger and goods transportation,” explained Kurt Sauernheimer, Executive Vice President Door Systems Brose Group. The decision-makers are aware that an international family-owned company contributes to the standard of living in the region with its jobs and commitment.
President Kiska was impressed by the Brose settlement: “As president, it makes me proud to see that investors don’t just see Slovakia as a low-wage country but as a location with skilled workers. Brose will produce high-quality products in Prievidza and have a positive impact on the development of the entire region.”
A roughly 25,000 square meter building for production and administration was built during the first stage of construction on the 330,000 square meter company site.
Brose will produce window regulators, motors for liftgates and braking systems and other products here starting in 2017. 600 jobs will be created by 2021. It is conceivable that Prievidza could eventually become the largest European production location.
“Setting up production and administration in Prievidza is an important step of our European location strategy. The collaboration and network structure with the German locations should improve our competitive position and ultimately secure German jobs,” explained Sauernheimer.