An agreement on state aid between the Directorate for Technological Industrial Development Zones and the Turkish company Purplast, investing in TIDZ Skopje, has been signed Thursday.
Deputy PM for Economic Affairs Fatmir Bytyqi, Free Zones Authority director Jovan Despotovski, and Purplast CEO Mehmet Şişmanoğlu addressed agreement signing event.
Turkey’s Purplast plans to invest more than EUR 12 million, which opens a plant in Free Zone Skopje 2. The initial investment phase, amounting to EUR 5.1 million, will create jobs for 40 to 50 people including a starting salary of 21,000 denars.
The construction of the plant in Free Zone Skopje 2 is in the final phase and the production is expected to start in less than two months.
Under the agreement, the state offers Purplast 2.5 hectares of land at a subsidized price, EUR 2.5 million in aid, of which EUR 500,000 in cash and about EUR 2 million in customs and tax exemptions.
“It is a serious company with a decade-long experience employing over 450 people and exporting to over 36 countries worldwide. The first investment phase envisages employment of 40 to 50 people, while total investment will open over 200 jobs. The starting salary will be over 21,000 denars and can reach up to 75,000 denars. If we deem it necessary, we will offer additional incentives that will help for their further growth,” Free Zones Authority director Jovan Despotovski said.
He added that research and development centre in Purplast is planned to be open in 2022, whereat the total investment should be realized by 2026.
“By 2028, the company is expected to generate EUR 3 million in revenue and 12-13 percent profit. We will closely monitor the state aid, it is in our interest for the company to use these funds and start paying its obligations to the state,” Despotovski said.
According to Purplast CEO Mehmet Şişmanoğlu, work will begin before May this year and the plant will officially open in the summer.
The company has an area of 26,000 sqm of construction land under lease, of which almost 50 percent was used in the first phase of the investment. The second phase is expected in 2025.
“We started preparing the land on July 1, 2020 and in 7.5 months we completed 75% of the construction of the plant. We have a total of 12,000 sqm of closed area, the two-story office building covers an area of 1,600 sqm, while the production hall has an area of 10,400 sqm. We will soon set up the production lines,” Şişmanoğlu said.
Deputy PM for Economic Affairs Fatmir Bytyqi said that Purplast investment is an excellent opportunity for employment of our citizens. Purplast has shown that it has confidence in our economic policies and in the investment climate, he added.
