As part of its Supply Development component SECEP Project hosted Professor Dr. Michael Rawlinson from United Kingdom who performed the presentation on the lean manufacturing to more than 25 representatives of Serbian companies that participate in the SECEP project.

Presentation was held in Belgrade’s hotel Balkan on Thursday, July 22, 2010.

 

 

Professor Rawlinson introduced participants with key principles of lean manufacturing and its practical implementation in today’s industry.

He presented examples of the best European lean manufacturing practices in the small and medium enterprises sector with special focus on automotive industry.

Quality Tools and Techniques...

 

Belgrade, July 08, 2010 - An EU funded project Support to Enterprise Competitiveness and Export Promotion (SECEP) organised a meeting in the Serbian Chamber of Commerce (SCC) initiating establishment of the National Cluster Association. In partnership with the SCC who chaired the meeting by its Vice-President Mihajlo Vesovic, SECEP gathered representatives from different clusters from all over Serbia and representatives from the Ministry of Economy and Regional Development, SIEPA, National Agency for Regional Development, LEDIB.

SECEP’s Team Leader Andrzej Schafernaker introduced participants with opportunities that National Clusters Association could bring to clusters and business in Serbia, while SECEP’s Legal Expert Tanja Volarev explained legislation and suggested possible legal forms for establishment of the Clusters Association. SCC’s Aleksandar Nikolic presented opportunities that SCC offers to clusters and proposals on how best to benefit from making national Clusters Association as specific cluster network. President of the Croatian Association of ICT clusters Boris Krstanovic presented Croatian experience in establishing the Association and models of cooperation among cluster-members.

After interesting debate participants agreed to for a Working Group that will further develop proposal for establishment of the National Association and forms of the future support to existing Serbian clusters.

 

Support to Enterpise Competitiveness and Export Promotion project (SECEP) organized a workshop on clusters and cluster opprtunities in Serbia in Belgrade’s „Aero klub“ on Tuesday, June 22, 2010. Representatives from the SECEP project’s beneficiaries, cluster representatives from Serbia and guests from cluster associations from the region, as well as representatives from the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and SIEPA were hosted by SECEP’s Team Leader Andrzej Schafernaker.

 

Key note speakers at the workshop were Ivan Brkic from the Serbian Ministry of Economy and Regional Development, Boris Krstanovic from the Association of Croatian ICT Clusters, Genoveva Christova Chairperson of the Association of Business Clusters in Bulgaria and representative from the EU funded POLUS cluster programme from Hungary.

 

 

Kragujevac, May 19, 2010 – Meet the Buyer event organized by the EU funded project Support to Enterprise Competitiveness and Export promotion (SECEP) was presented as central happening at the opening of the first regional fair of car parts producers in the South East Europe. SECEP Project, Regional Chamber of Commerce Kragujevac and Šumadija-sajam made possible for the first fair of car parts producers „Auto Compo Net” to take place in Kragujevac with around 100 exhibitors participating.

The fair and „Meet the Buyer” as its central event and meeting point for multinational and local and regional companies, were opened by Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Ivica Dačić, SECEP’s Team Leader Andržej Schafernaker and Head of the Regional Chamber of Kragujevac Dušan Puača.

Dačič thanked to the EU project for assistance to Serbian companies and stressed that Serbia and the Balkans region could become very attractive for the world’s leading car manufacturers who wish to set up new production units. “leading names in the car industry are joining forces to respond to global challenges and this trend should be followed because the global market is as competitive as it is profitable”, he said.

Speaking about EU assistance to Serbian economy Schafernaker said that SECEP’s budget of EUR 3.5 million is part of IPA package totaling EUR 6.5 million that EU allocated so far to support enterpreneurship and competitiveness in Serbia. „Meet the Buyer is part of the larger project. This event provides opportunities for local suppliers to meet international buyers in person, to see their purchasing requirements and to begin negotiations. This is an integral part of SECEP’s mission to improve the competitiveness of Serbian business and help them to enter global supply chains. Today’s Meet the Buyer is one out of four that SECEP will organize in Serbia in the next 18 months”, he stressed.

Dačić and Schafernaker visited SECEP’s stands at the Meet the Buyer and spoke to representatives of Volkswagen, General Motors, Peugeot, Mitsuba and Knorr Brems who had bussines begotiations about future cooperation with companies from Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia and Macedonia.

Support to Enterprise Competitiveness and Export Promotion (SECEP) officially announced that „Meet the Buyer” event will take place in Kragujevac from 19 to 21 May as part of the „Auto Compo Net” fair and central Serbian celebration of the „SME Week”. Representatives of the Regional Chamber of Commerce from Kragujevac, Serbian Chamber of Commerce and SECEP a project funded by the Europen Union (EU) – announced at the press conference in Belgrade on May 5 that will co-organize series of events to establish regional cooperation between producers of automotive component from the Western Balkans.

As presented by the SECEP’s Team Leader Andrzej Schafernaker „Meet the Buyer” will be the unique chance for local and regional producers of automotive components to present their products and services to multinational companies. „Volkswagen”, „General Motors” and number of their direct suppliers confirmed participation athe these events. Meet the Buyer would serve as an opportunity for local SMEs to play the role of seller while multinationalo companies would play the role of a buyer.

“Meet the Buyer event is important for cooperation between SECEP, SIEPA, Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Regional Chamber of Commerce in Kragujevac and it is the integral part of SECEP’s Supply development programme. We aim to help companies to develop their capacities and to strengthen capacity building of selected companies to become part of supply chains in two ways. The first way is through individual work where we’re helping them to improve their performance and business aspects in various parts of their operation. By quoting this year’s slogan of the SME Week celebration we can say that we “train champions”. The second way how we help them is by organizing reverse exhibitions like “Meet the Buyer” where local companies can meet potentially interested multinational companies and to further develop eventual cooperation”, said Schafernaker.

 

The public call for participation in the Serbian Supplier Development programme closed on Tuesday, 16th of February 2010. The SECEP team would like to thank all applicants.

The applications will be screened and scored against the published criteria in the coming week.  The validation panel will take place on the 26th of February and successful applicants will be informed during week commencing 1st of March. Participating companies will be requested to complete a Memorandum of Understanding which will ensure confidentiality of information gathered during the project.

SECEP Team envisage the commencement of assessment process during March.

This of course will involve close liaison between the programme teams and the companies.

 

On Wednesday, December 16 SECEP’s Supplier Development Programme presented the Supplier Development project component in Belgrade at the presentation organized by the Belgrade Chamber of Commerce (www.kombeg.org.rs). The presentation “Possibilities to Become Qualified Supplier” hosted by the Chamber was co-organised by the SECEP Project Team and the Serbia Investment and Export Promotion Agency SIEPA (www.siepa.gov.rs).

This presentation served as an opportunity for representatives of 21 small and medium enterprises (SMESs) from Serbia to learn more about possibilities for applying for the SECEP’s Supply development Programme that gives them and opportunity to join to some of the international supply chains.

On behalf of the SECEP project Mr. Nenad Božanić Senior Supplier Development Expert presented key opportunities that SECEP offer, while Mr. Andrija Bednarik represented SIEPA at this event. Mr. Miloš Došen represented the Belgrade Chamber of Commerce.

Among 21 companies participating at the presentation there were: SINTER, IVA 28, IRITEL, Kreativne inovacije, HYFIX, Servoteh, Zavon, Yutro, PPT Servoupravljači Trstenik, Vin Co., Lola Fluidomatik, Bell Medic, DES, Pneumo Logic, Telefon inženjering, Propulzija, Novatronic etc.