While the trend of company closures in Bosnia and Herzegovina unfortunately continues, the Tuzla Transport Equipment Factory is a bright spot in the economy. In the past period, the challenges related to the closure of the Lukavac Coke Plant and the Zenica Steel Plant have been overcome. Preparations are underway to be competitive in the market across Europe, and the trend of employing young people and returning workers from Europe has continued.
The Tuzla Transport Equipment Factory “Energetik” is an example of a successful, revitalized company in the mental industry. Today, it employs many young people, including Hajrudin Vrbić, who has been working as a CNC operator for two years.
“I came for an interview for my first job right after high school. I really liked it while I was in production. I learned a lot from the old workers and I fell in love with this job,” says Vrbić.
Almin Sinanović has been working at the Factory for three years on a horizontal drilling machine and, like his colleague Hajrudin, has never thought about leaving the country.
“I would like to tell all young people who are in the metal industry, and who don’t have to be, to come to TTU Energetik because they can really learn a lot about the mechanical profession,” adds Sinanović.
“In the past three to four years, over 70 workers have retired, accompanied by nice gifts. The new workforce is here, the young people are here, they learned some basics about machines, they switched to CNC machines. In the past few months, we have had people return from Slovenia, from Germany, and there have been a few cases,” emphasizes the general director of TTU Energetik Tuzla Mirza Tufekčić.
This factory used to be marked by worker protests and bankruptcy. Let us recall that the Tuzla giant experienced a collapse, and the bankruptcy proceedings were ended when Elektroprivreda BiH and Rudnik Banovići bought the factory. The old glory of the former factory was restored by the new one, on whose foundations it was opened. It currently has 107 employees, and the purchase of new CNC machines is in progress.
“When it happens and is implemented, we believe that we will be capable and competitive in any market in the region and Europe, and we are moving towards that goal. Of course, it is quite complex and demanding, but we have accepted these challenges and are moving forward,” emphasizes Šuhreta Žunić, Executive Director for Finance at TTU “Energetik” Tuzla.
This will also enable the Transport Equipment Factory, as the leader of Bosnian and Herzegovina’s mechanical engineering, to increase exports.
The complete process of purchasing equipment at the Transport Equipment Factory d.o.o. “Energetik” in Tuzla should be completed by the end of the year, BHRT writes.
