Prime Minister Fico Stops By to Tour Jaguar Land Rover Facilities in UK
Solihull, February 4 (TASR) – Slovakia has an adequate amount of manpower for the new automobile maker Jaguar Land Rover and its plans to place its large-scale investment in Nitra, Prime Minister Robert Fico said during Thursday’s visit to the Jaguar Land Rover facility in Solihull, near Birmingham.
“The inking of the agreement on cooperation inspired huge expectations in Slovakia. Slovakia is a country with an economy buttressed by automobile industry and therefore, we weren’t surprised by enormous public interest in jobs at the new firm, set to come to Slovakia soon,” said Fico after a tour.
The Prime Minister added that the prospects of working at the new facility attracted some 28,000 applicants registered at job centres run by the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family. “Every analysis confirms that the production of modern cars of exceptional quality close to Nitra will be accompanied by a sufficient number of qualified workers.”
Jaguar Land Rover executive director Ralf Speth voiced appreciation for the Slovak Government’s approach towards the company’s demands. “The decision-making process was extremely long and challenging. We’re coming to Slovakia with a new facility, due to utilise new technologies and bring about new jobs, but with the spirit of a small family firm,” he claimed, adding that Slovak employees will be coached by experts from Britain.
The investment contract with Jaguar Land Rover was signed by the Government on December 11, 2015. The car maker, owned by Indian conglomerate Tata Motors, chose Nitra as the site of its new factory with a production capacity of 300,000 vehicles yearly. Overall, the investment is expected to equal €1.5 billion and to provide employment to 2,800 people. Construction works are slated to be launched this year, with full operation planned to start in 2018.
Slovakia will provide investment incentives worth €130 million to Jaguar, a figure that amounts to 9 percent of the investment value.
