Automotive association drives Macedonia into new markets

Light manufacturing has always been an important source of GDP, exports and employment in Macedonia--think automotive components, furniture, metal-processing, rubber and plastics production, tool and mold making, as well as product assembly for domestic and international customers. But since the break-up of Yugoslavia, the sector has struggled to connect with European customers.

The Automotive Cluster of Macedonia (ACM) is helping to change that. Established in 2007 with the help of the USAID Macedonia Competitiveness Project, the ACM has 25 members, and MCP sits on its advisory board. Rather than focusing on lobbying, the ACM takes a distinctly market-oriented approach to serving its membership, organizing factory visits for potential customers, coordinating Macedonian representation (in collaboration with MCP and GTZ of Germany) at business-to-business events in Germany, Serbia, Slovenia and Turkey and important spring automotive trade shows, including the European Automotive Component (EAC) Expo and Hannover Messe, both in Germany.

Pavilions at Germany's leading automotive trade shows have driven interest in Macedonia as a new European source

For the third year in a row, the Macedonian Automotive Pavilion at the EAC Expo in May sparked awareness of that country's automotive industry and kept its producers abreast of new industry trends. Three exhibitors, Laminati, Te-Te Plast and Invest in Macedonia held a total of over 60 meetings with companies looking for new sourcing partners in Europe. MCP's representative, Goce Peshev, presented the country's general industrial capacity, resulting in two Macedonian companies being included in the official supplier list of Knorr-Bremse, the world’s leading manufacturer of braking systems for rail and commercial vehicles.

Three companies (Te-Te Plast, Ein-Sof and Miriplast), the ACM and Invest in Macedonia participated in Hannover Messe in April, drawing attention from BMW and Tier 1 suppliers like Webasto and Magna. Previous EAC shows have generated around $2.5 million so far for Macedonia's exhibitors, with a solid pipeline of future orders.

“With the help of MCP, we have been able to develop and execute a marketing strategy that is improving Macedonia’s position as an automotive component location within Europe,” said Vladimir Tevdov, ACM's executive director.

Published May 2011

---

Share through your favorite Social Bookmarking websites

 More