EBRD lends €5 million to support Mecedonia’s SME Aktiva

07 / 07 / 2019

By Marwa Nassar - -

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is lending €5 million to Aktiva, one of the leading metal processing and construction companies in North Macedonia, to support its expansion into supplying international companies with metal fabricated parts. The loan financing is part of EBRD efforts to boost the competitiveness of the country’s small and medium enterprises.

The EBRD loan will be used to complete Aktiva’s €10 million investment program in upgrading production and coating capacity, including the installation of a new KTL (electro) coating line. It will support the company in becoming one of the leading regional “one-stop shop” metal engineering and processing companies. The project aims to help the company grow its metal processing segment and increase the export share of this business segment.

Aktiva, founded in 1999, provides metal fabrication services, as well as engineering, supervision and construction services for steel construction facilities.

Since entering the metal fabricated parts market in 2014, in cooperation with the Belgian bus producer Van Hool – one of the biggest foreign direct investors in North Macedonia – Aktiva has also started producing metal fabricated products for other international companies including Fast and ThyssenKrupp.

In line with the EBRD’s recently approved Country Strategy for North Macedonia, this financing supports and enhances value chain linkages in the private sector. The upgrade is planned at a time when growing numbers of large international companies are outsourcing and partnering with strategic reliable suppliers in south-eastern Europe, which can provide quality, flexible and competitive production as well as quick logistics.

To date the EBRD has invested nearly €1.9 billion in 117 projects in North Macedonia, with a focus on supporting the country’s integration into regional and global markets.