The first in the Industrial Zone - North, the Ariston company's factory will cover an area of approximately 150,000 square meters, with the building itself spanning 30,000 square meters. The total investment by the Italian company will amount to 75 million euros

NIŠ, July 23, 2024 - The ceremonial laying of the foundation stone marked the beginning of construction of the production facility of the Italian company Ariston. Completion of construction is expected by late 2025, with plans to employ 300 workers by the end of 2027.

The foundation stone laying ceremony was attended by the President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, Minister of Economy Adrijana Mesarović, Mayor of Niš Dragana Sotirovski, Italian Ambassador Luka Gori, President of the Ariston Group Paolo Merloni, and Chief Operating Officer of the Ariston Group Pierluigi Astorino.

Paolo Merloni, President of the Ariston Group, emphasized the strong support and good cooperation with Serbian authorities that enabled the investment, highlighting readiness for future investments in Serbia.

He noted that the company operates in 40 countries, employing over 10,000 people worldwide, with last year's revenue exceeding three billion euros.

"Our solutions are sold in over 160 markets through our network of 29 manufacturing facilities. In Serbia, we built our first factory in 2019, specializing in thermostats and heating elements," said Merloni.

Pierluigi Astorino, Chief Operating Officer of the Ariston Group, highlighted that the new factory will feature state-of-the-art technologies for boiler production, with production expected to commence by late 2025.

Italian Ambassador to Serbia, Luka Gori, also addressed the attendees, emphasizing that the laying of the foundation stone for the new Ariston factory should be seen in the context of bilateral relations between Serbia and Italy, noting substantial investments in both political and economic terms. Three joint economic forums between Belgrade and Rome have been organized so far, making Serbia the only country with which Italy has held three business forums in a year and a half, clearly demonstrating the good relations between the two states.

President Aleksandar Vučić stated at the ceremony that laying the foundation stone for the new Ariston factory is a very important event and highlighted that Niš now employs 22,000 more people than ten years ago.

Vučić mentioned that the new Ariston factory will employ 300 people and expressed expectations for Ariston to expand its capacities there.

"This is a significant and important company for Niš. The family-owned company Ariston has annual revenues of three billion euros, around 10,700 employees, and exports to 150 markets. I am grateful to the family and everyone from Italy who made this decision," said Vučić.

Photo: TANJUG / DIMITRIJE NIKOLIĆ