Kick Off Meeting:

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Kick Off Meeting Partnership No 8 Developing a
Cluster of Metal Manufacturers to meet the needs
of the electro-energy sector in the Western
Balkans
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Partners
Western Europe Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and
Industry, UK www.scci.org.uk Ovied
o Chamber of Commerce, Spain
www.camara-ovi.es/mostrar.aspx?pag558
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Partners
Western Balkans The Economy Chamber of Zenica
Doboj Canton, Bosnia Herzegovina
www.pkzedo.ba
Regional Chamber of Economy Nis, Serbia
www.rpknis.rs Sisak County Chamber,
Croatia www.hgk.hr/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.
7_0_A/7_0_PQ
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Sector Background

• Metal Manufacturing in the Western Balkans
• Zenica-Doboj Canton
• Major industry is electric energy, metallurgy,
  and metal production.
• One of 2 thermo power stations in Bosnia
  Herzegovina
• Biggest steel factory in the Balkans 2 million
  tonnes of steel
• 3 Coal mines 2 million tonnes of coal
• Needs of investments of these sectors are very
  big, because of antiquated equipment for
  production and lack of sofisticated
  mechanisation, which in the most cases import
  (from abroad).
• Sisak-Moslavina County
• Iron and steel manufacture, metal work and
  construction
• Power plant
• Faculty of Metallurgy at Sisak
• Nis
• Most developed industrial center in south-east
  Serbia
• Metal, electro-energy, and tobacco are major
  industries

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Sector Focus
This project will focus on working with metal
manufacturers and processors supplying, or with
the capability of supplying, the electro-energy
sector. Improvements in efficiency and
capability (and therefore cost) will naturally
translate into supply chains for other market
sectors such as construction and automotive.
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Project Objective
This project will ensure that a Cluster of
businesses in the metal industries is developed
that creates a favourable environment and acts as
a focus for attracting Foreign Direct Investment
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Project Activities

• To identify a Balkan supply chain cluster for the
  electrical power generation industry in the
  region which has to be modernised by targeted
  investment in innovation and modern manufacturing
  techniques
• Focus is on creating the environment for FDI, not
  the investment itself
• Time and Finance limited
• Identified best practice and knowledge transfer
• To review exemplar models
• To encourage cross border co-operation

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Project Activities

• Inception Visit
• Held in November in Zenica
• Meeting with all parties
• Meeting with a Governmental Minister
• Set project aims and objectives
• Cluster Business identification
• All parties will identify suitable businesses for
  inclusion within the Cluster project

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Project Activities

• Opening ceremony and first workshop
• To be held in Nis, in January
• Public authorities invited
• Cluster businesses invited
• Analysis of current position, strengths,
  weaknesses and objective position
• Second workshop
• To be held in Zenica in May
• Co-ordinated diary with a large Metal industry
  fair being held in Zenica
• Fringe event to the fair focussing on
  environmental best practice and green issues
• Identifying how the cluster can become an
  exemplar model
• Governmental involvement

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Project Activities

• Study visit to Western Europe
• To be held in June
• Visit to Oviedo in Spain, and Sheffield in the UK
• Visits to existing large metal businesses
• Meetings with public authorities
• Attendance as VIP guests at the Sheffield
  International Economic Summit
• Study tours of the Advanced Manufacturing Park,
  Special Metals Forum, and the National Metals
  Centre
• Third workshop
• To be held in Sisak in September
• Reviewing the study visit
• Developing implementation opportunities and plans
  for businesses

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Expected Results

• 10 delegates from business support organisations
  attending the workshops
• Focussed marketing material promoting metal
  manufacturing industries in the Western Balkans
• A website showcasing the activities and results
  of this project
• A process of lobbying regional public authorities
  for improvements in infrastructure
• Businesses included within the Cluster developing
  action plans for future development opportunities
• A further project proposal for structural funds
  will be developed to further encourage FDI.

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Other activities

• Visibility actions
• Website will be developed to promote the Western
  Balkans Metal Cluster project
• Press releases / conference after every activity
• EU funding publicity requirements adhered to
• Politicians and public authorities to be involved
  at all stages
• Publicity material developed and distributed to
  the wider Chamber movement and businesses within
  those Chambers

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Other activities

• Visibility actions

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Other activities

• Local Authority / Investment Agency involvement
  
• Ensuring involvement from local authorities and
  investment promotion agencies is key to ensuring
  the success of this project
• Meetings have already been held with Bosnian
  Government Minister
• Local Authorities will be invited to all
  workshops
• Opportunities to develop constructive lobbying
  and representation relationships will be actively
  sought

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Cluster activities after Project completion

• Companies to continue being members of the
  Cluster, because of the benefits they recognize
  during the projects
• Cluster to become self-sustainable through
  membership fees.
• Cluster will coordinate overall visibility of
  market opportunities, communicate them to the
  members, and help to attract FDI.
• Leverage lessons learnt into supply chains into
  other market sectors (aerospace, automotive,
  construction).