November 2 (SeeNews) - Japan's Yaskawa Electric Corporation will break ground on Thursday for a factory for industrial robots in Slovenia's southern municipality of Kocevje, the Slovenian prime minister said.
"Kocevje is a symbol of good news for me," Miro Cerar said in a Twitter post. "Today we lay the cornerstone for a new factory," he added.
Earlier this year, the government of Slovenia said Yaskawa Electric Corporation will invest 25 million euro ($29.1 million) in the factory, which should begin operations in autumn next year.
The factory's production will satisfy between 70 and 80% of demand for industrial robots on the European market, the government noted at the time.
Local media earlier reported that the plant's initial capacity will be 4,000 robots per year, before increasing to 5,000 and later to no more than 6,000.
In 2020, the Japanese company plans to expand in Slovenia and build a centre for robotic research and development.
Yaskawa Electric, founded in 1915, is one of the world’s leading manufacturers in the fields of drive technology, industrial automation and robotics based in Kitakyushu, Japan.
The company already has two subsidiaries in Slovenia, Yaskawa Slovenia and Yaskawa Ristro.
($=0.8594 euro)