By the end of this year, the company Continental Automotive Serbia will start the construction of a factory near the capital of Vojvodina, which, according to Sasa Coringa, General Manager, will produce the most modern complex driver warning systems designed in the company’s research center in Novi Sad.
“Not all contracts have been signed, so I can’t talk in more detail about that factory, but it will be important for the country,” said Coringa.
Considering that 2.5 years ago, this company received a state subsidy of 9.5 million euros for the employment of 500 engineers, which it did this year, and which was opposed by the IT community, which claimed that the state was giving money to this German company in order to “kidnap” developers, Coringa mentioned that this is a complete product, and not just the production of a part that is integrated into a product, nor is it outsourcing, providing services to foreigners or making games or programming on the Internet.
“We have 8,000 engineers in Romania and I knew what would happen here. We appreciate the IT industry in Serbia, which is perhaps the best part of the economy. It will provide added value and we are ready to help it in any way,” said Coringa.
When asked by Danas journalists whether he will receive subsidies for the new factory, he answered that talks are underway, but that he will not ask for more subsidies for engineers.
“The fight for talent in the world is huge. We did not come here because of cheap labor, but because of talent. In just 2.5 years, our engineers have developed a finished product. It took us 10 years in Romania for that. Subsidies are not just aid but it is an investment. It is an obligation for both parties and the company and the state. In the spring of 2018, the crisis in the automotive industry has already begun, and employment decisions were made in our company. We signed a commitment to hire 500 people and fought for projects while at the same time not hiring in our centers in other parts of the world. That subsidy was beneficial for both parties. The state returned the investments after two years, and we will stay here for a long time. In Romania, we have 21,000 employees, of which 8,000 are engineers,” assessed Coringa, adding that the company will lease another 1,500 square meters of business premises on the already existing 6,500, which means further growth. He pointed out that the company also received subsidies in Romania at the beginning, in the form of exemption of engineers’ salaries from taxes.
At the research center in Novi Sad, Continental, part of a German group that employs 240,000 people worldwide, presented some of the solutions that engineers in the field of autonomous driving and electronic devices for vehicle cabins are working on.
Coringa also referred to the situation in the automotive sector, which is going through a great crisis and transformation.
“There is less and less need for a larger number of cars, because it will not be necessary to own one’s own car, but the need for a transport service.
“The number of workers in the factories that produce components will decrease, but that is why the need for engineers and what we do will grow,” said Coringa, Danas reports.
