Mošnov Strategic Industrial Zone to Welcome a New Investor
At their December meeting, the City Assembly approved the sale of land in the Mošnov Strategic Industrial Zone. On an area of about 20,000 m2, the Chinese company XZB will in two years build a new modern plant with fully automated operations employing at least 50 people, including at least 10 high value added jobs. The land has been sold for CZK 7.14 million excluding VAT.
The automotive company was founded in 2002. Its products include hydraulic valve balancers, rocker arms and other components for the production of engines. The company's main know-how is cold forming. It owns many patents and uses state-of-the-art technology. The share of employees working in R&D exceeds 20%. The company will follow the same policy in the Czech Republic.
"Rather than focusing only on new jobs, which used to be our priority when Ostrava was undergoing transformation, our city is now primarily trying to attract investors collaborating with our universities. We therefore prefer companies whose R&D activities could be linked with our academia. This means that we prefer companies with higher value added jobs, which is undoubtedly the case of XZB", said Mayor of Ostrava Tomáš Macura.
The Zone is already home to 7 companies, which employ 4,000 people and have invested almost CZK 13 billion in their operations. Within the Czech Republic, the Zone is unique thanks to its location and its connection to the road and railway network. But it is the direct connection to international airport that makes the logistical hub truly extraordinary in Central Europe and beyond.
"The high quality of university education in the region is an assurance that we will find a sufficient number of highly qualified employees who will contribute to the development of the company and will have the opportunity to carry out scientific work. That's one of the reasons why XZB has chosen the Mošnov Industrial Zone for its expansion into Europe. The proximity of motorway, airport and railway give the company a great competitive advantage, which, together with high-tech technologies, could soon become a significant element of further development of the region", said Jan Teufel, the plant director.
The Mošnov Strategic Industrial Zone is one of the largest development sites in the Czech Republic, which was originally intended as a backup area for the Hyundai plant in case the Nošovice zone was not ready in time. It is situated 25 km south of the centre of Ostrava and covers an area of 200 hectares.