Industrial zone Zhabeni booming in Bitola

Bitola industrial zone booms

The industrial development zone "Zhabeni" in the town of Bitola is growing rapidly by the day.

Since the arrival of German automotive giant "Kromberg and Schubert", the zone has seen a rapid increase in activity.

The Kromberg and Schubert plant currently employs 750 people, most of whom are from Bitola. The plant intends to increase that figure to 1000 employees by the end of the year, and another 1000 employees to be added in 2014 following with another 500 in 2015, a total capacity of 2500 employees.

The plant will employ 2.5% of the 100,000 strong population of Bitola, which is bound to have a large economic impact on the town.

Kromberg and Schubert were the first to move in to the Zhabeni industrial zone, which is south-east of Bitola near the villages of Zhabeni, Bisatrica and Opticari, on the way to the Greek border.

A number of construction permits have also been recently approved for plants in the zone. Besides Kromberg and Schubert, the zones primary industries currently are the food processing and plastics industries.

The zone will also be connected to the Bitola-Greece rail link in the next few years, boosting its capacity.