In September 2008, the Italian company Orlandi signed a Memorandum with the Macedonian government announcing a 10 million euro investment in a factory for the production of towing systems for trucks and agriculture machinery. The factory was supposed to generate 120 to 150 new jobs, and after expanding the production lines up to 500 jobs. However, eight years later, this investment has the status of promised – and unrealized.
The investment Memorandum was signed by the Primer Minister of the time Nikola Gruevski and one of the owners, Gianpietro Mascellini, in the company headquarters in Brescia, Italy.
Orlandi’s owner, Mascellini, pointed out that this is the first international investment for the company, which is among the world’s top three leading companies in this field.
He pointed out that production would start at the beginning of 2010 and would initially be intended for export to Italy, and afterwards Europe and the world.
Orlandi makes products for IVECO, Mercedes, Volvo, Scania, MAN and other companies in the truck industry, as well as for the largest companies in the industry for agricultural machines.
According to a 2012 statement for Utrinski Vesnik by the Director of the Directorate for Technological Industrial Development Zones, Viktor Mizo, the global crisis is to blame that Orlandi gave up on investing in Macedonia.