Sony, the Japanese electronics company, is seriously exploring manufacturing television parts in Slovakia, according to Jozef Semjan, the company's representative in Bratislava. During his recent visit to Berlin, Slovak Prime Minister Vladimír Mečiar met with Sony representatives in what Semjan called "a business lunch." Although nothing was signed, Mečiar came back telling reporters that Sony might start production and employ as many as 600 Slovaks.
But a lot has to happen before that becomes reality. Currently, there are no factories in Slovakia that meet Sony's requirements, Semjan said, so the firm would need to build its own facility. A Sony representative based in England visited Slovakia during the last week in November and scouted "about eight" potential sites in the western part of the country, Semjan said. Semjan said that Sony already manufactures electronic components in many western European countries, including Great Britain, Italy, Germany and Austria. While looking eastward for new production facilities, Semjan said the electronics giant is not focusing exclusively on Slovakia, but is looking at "all eastern European countries."