Udo Eichlinger, new chief executive officer of Siemens d. o. o. in Serbia, announced the German conglomerate will shift its capacities from other countries to the Subotica Large Drives Factory. The facility is the fifth biggest in Siemens Large Drives segment, he added. There may be good news at the beginning of 2016, as the management is planning to focus on the Balkan country, Eichlinger told Beta news agency at the company’s event in Opatija in neighbouring Croatia.
By the end of September, Siemens will have 1,500 employees in Serbia, he said. The company is dedicated to growing its presence in the Balkan country and wants its employees to have more work and better salaries, Eichlinger added.
Returns from investment in energy efficiency can be up to 20% a year, according to experiences from the German company’s programme. A system of incentives should be established, for example to deduct those investmens from taxes, Eichlinger claims, stressing that Siemens has trained many consultants to promote benefits from measures towards efficiency. Serbia could save 5% to 10% of overall energy consumption with better regulation, the company said, citing its research results. Current heat demand in the country’s industry could be cut by over 20%, while replacing obsolete electric motors has the potential of saving 188 GWh of power a year, according to Siemens.