JAPANESE car-industry supplier Akebono Brake Industry plans to build and operate a manufacturing facility in Trenčín where it will manufacture automotive components, the SITA newswire wrote.
Akebono’s intention is to build the production plant in Trenčín in three phases – starting at 40,000 square metres and later increasing to a total of 120,000 square metres – and over time to hire up to 350 people. Based on unofficial reports the firm will invest between €20 million and €30 million.
Implementation of the plan will depend partly on whether Trenčín City Council manages to acquire the land in the industrial park for Akebono Brake Industry, since it does not currently own all the land required by the Japanese investor. Councillors brought the plans closer to realisation on July 22 when they approved the purchase of land in the industrial park from the state-owned Slovak Land Fund. Based on a memorandum between the Japanese investor and the city council, all transactions related to the transfer of the land to the Japanese investor should be completed by September 30, otherwise the memorandum will be void. In total, the Japanese investor will pay Trenčín about €920,000 for 40,000 square metres. Construction of the plant is planned to start in March 2014, while production should begin in late 2014.
According to Richard Rybníček, Trenčín’s mayor, the Japanese investor, which works with carmakers including Audi, Chrysler, Honda, General Motors, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Volkswagen and Ford, narrowed its choice of locations to Slovakia, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic, before eventually plumping for Slovakia. The company has not asked the Slovak government for any investment aid so far.
