The Winkelmann Group will create 450 jobs in Rimavská Sobota, central Slovakia. (source: Facebook/Eduard Heger)
A future industrial park in Rimavská Sobota, central Slovakia, will become an expansion site for the Winkelmann Group. The German group plans to build a plant focused on the production of hot water storage tanks, especially for heat pumps.
The expected investment amount is at least €110 million. The group should create 450 new jobs. Based on the market's development, up to a two-fold increase in the number of jobs in the new plant can potentially be expected by 2030.
The company plans to start production at the beginning of 2025.
The memorandum of understanding on the planned investment was signed on April 27 in Rimavská Sobota by acting PM Eduard Heger, acting Economy Minister Karel Hirman and the head of the company Heinrich Winkelmann.
Growing demand in heat pumps
The Economy Ministry emphasised that the investor is arriving in a region with the highest unemployment rate, more than 13 percent.
The German firm is the first company to build its plant in the future industrial park.
With this new plant, the company is responding to increased interest in heat pump technologies and the need for alternative energy sources.
The Winkelmann Group is one of the leading companies operating in the field of metal processing and sheet metal forming for various industrial uses.
It was founded in 1898 as a family business. Currently, it has production plants in Germany, Poland, Turkey, China, USA and Mexico.
Chinese said to be arriving as well
At the last town council meeting, the mayor of Rimavská Sobota also mentioned the interest of an unspecified Chinese company in coming to the unused premises of the former heavy engineering plant in the town. These are located adjacent to the future state industrial park and have been empty for more than two decades.
Mayor Jozef Šimko told the My Novohrad website that the Chinese visited Rimavská Sobota in March, but that they also visited other cities in Slovakia. They plan to create around 200 jobs.
"These negotiations are still ongoing," Šimko said.
