Bizerba's strong commercial performance resulted in a situation where production capacities at the existing production sites had reached their limits. At the same time, new regions have developed into clear growth markets. For this reason, among others, the international scale manufacturer therefore took the decision to expand its production into Serbia. According to Bizerba, the project in its entirety represents a total investment of approximately € 21 million, an unprecedented amount in the company's history.
Up to 300 employees on hand to provide innovative retail weighing solutions
The first scales were produced and successfully delivered to customers back in February. The site manufactures a variety of innovative weighing solutions, such as PC technology-based retail scales. These scales are some of Bizerba's most important products in its global portfolio. Sven Hödl, Vice President Global Operations at Bizerba, was at the opening with a resident team. He said "The launch of Bizerba checkout scales in Valjevo is a key milestone on the way to achieving our overall vision for the new site. As the year progresses, we intend to develop this site into our global strategic platform for the entire retail scales range". In addition to the most important stage of production, namely assembling the devices, additional relevant functions have also been established at the new site, such as Purchasing, Warehousing and Logistics.
There are already 55 new employees working at the Bizerba Production & Tech Center in Valjevo, and this number will continue to grow. In the long term, the site will have enough space for up to 300 employees. The working environment as a whole provides the best possible conditions for employees. This modern new construction provides all kinds of new opportunities to automate and digitize production processes. The assembly and logistics area impresses with its up-to-date technical systems and maximum flexibility in terms of how it can be utilized. The site also features modern, open plan offices along with generously sized and well-equipped break rooms.
The final overall construction size for the assembly, logistics and admin area is 11,227 m².
A key milestone for both sides
Serbian President, Aleksandar Vučić, visited Bizerba's premises in Valjevo today (Thursday) in order to attend the grand opening of the new site. In his opening address, Andreas W. Kraut, Bizerba's CEO and stockholder, said "We have worked together to build something really magnificent here. The new Bizerba plant represents a key economic milestone for the city of Valjevo and is also a key expansion of our global production capacities. It will enable us here at Bizerba to continue our growth path and reinforce our global market position". He also said "The Bizerba team here in Valjevo is a key factor behind the continued development of our entire company, and I'm counting on every single member to be able to continue writing Bizerba's story just as successfully as we have managed to do so in the past 157 years".
The successful conclusion of the construction project is in no small part down to the excellent support provided by all of the Serbian institutions and authorities involved, along with representatives from the city of Valjevo. The company stated that it looks forward to continuing its excellent cooperation, and that the Bizerba Production & Tech Center has a bright future for all parties involved.