This autumn, LEONI Serbia celebrates 15 years of operation. With four factories and around 12,000 employees, it is the largest employer in Serbia’s industrial sector. It produces cable systems for premium-class cars of the world’s leading automotive manufacturers. LEONI Serbia is part of the German LEONI Group and represents the largest German investment in Serbia. We speak with Miloš Manić, CEO of LEONI Serbia, about the company’s journey and plans.
How does LEONI Serbia, with 12,000 employees and one of the top five exporters last year, contribute to the Serbian economy?
The export figure is even more significant considering that our exports are double our imports, thus providing a net foreign currency inflow to the national budget. Through taxes and contributions, the company pays €48 million annually into the budget of the Republic of Serbia and local municipalities. The state uses these funds for infrastructure, education, healthcare, social protection, and culture… which means that the funds stay in the areas where we operate and reach all citizens of the country. LEONI also significantly contributes to the development of small and medium-sized enterprises. Over the years of working with us, many small businesses have grown into medium-sized ones, and some medium-sized ones have grown into large companies. We have developed a network of about 700 local suppliers with LEONI Serbia, which generates €40 million in turnover annually.
Could you remind us of LEONI Serbia’s production capacities?
Our company has gone through a fantastic and almost unbelievable journey. We started in 2009 with only 350 employees in an old factory in Prokuplje. Probably not even the greatest optimists could have imagined what followed: just two years later, a new hall was built, and 3,500 people were employed—ten times more than the initial number. From Prokuplje, our further expansion began: in 2014, we opened a factory in Malošište, followed by one in Niš in 2017 and another in Kraljevo in 2019. Today, we have four factories, exporting the entire production of cable systems, with our products being purchased by the world’s most famous premium car manufacturers.
What enabled such rapid development?
Three equally important and inseparable factors enabled the rise of our company. The first is the willingness of our headquarters, the German company LEONI AG, to invest in Serbia. We are grateful that they recognised the potential of our country and invested substantial resources.
LEONI Serbia is the largest employer in the industrial sector, with around 12,000 employees and four factories
However, we would not have achieved such growth if the Serbian government at all levels had not opened doors to investors and provided favourable conditions for implementation. And third, but certainly not least, is the readiness and capability of our people to meet the highest quality standards set by our customers.
It is a great responsibility to have 12,000 employees. How does LEONI Serbia manage this?
An interesting fact is that our company has more employees than 40 individual municipalities in Serbia have residents. This is truly a huge responsibility. Besides being the largest, we also want to be the best employer. In addition to regular wages, which have never been delayed in 15 years, we provide transportation for employees, with 90 buses engaged daily. We have contracts with 80 companies that offer special discounts on goods and services to LEONI employees. Every New Year, we give gifts worth €200,000 to the employees’ children, making over 3,000 kids happy. We also equip the first-graders of employees for school. Striving for a higher standard for our employees remains one of our priorities.
How do you collaborate with the local communities where you operate?
Through various initiatives and projects, we work to improve the quality of life for our fellow citizens. Over 15 years, we have allocated more than €1 million to socially responsible and humanitarian actions—for the most vulnerable children, youth, sports, culture, and ecological actions. When we gift our employees’ children, we also remember those from vulnerable social groups.
LEONI’s strategic partnership with Luxshare will significantly enhance market access and technological innovation
During the winter holidays, we distribute over 600 packages to children in hospitals, social institutions, and remote rural schools, visiting and preparing them for the start of the school year. We have helped repair schools, kindergartens, and hospitals, and we support sports clubs in small communities. This spring, we organised Easter games for all the children in Prokuplje and distributed toys to kids in Kraljevo. We also pay great attention to ecological initiatives: in Prokuplje, Malošište, Niš, and Kraljevo, we organise environmental clean-ups and tree planting. Corporate social responsibility will continue to be one of our priorities in the future.
LEONI Group changed ownership last year and recently entered a strategic partnership with the Chinese company Luxshare. What is your outlook for the future of LEONI Serbia?
We look to the future with optimism. Since last year, LEONI Group has been owned by Mr. Stefan Prier, owner of the Austrian Prier Mobility Group. We are proud of this, and over the past year, our company has been successfully undergoing transformation. Additionally, in September, LEONI entered a strategic partnership with the Chinese company Luxshare, which will significantly improve access to markets and technological innovations and ensure financial stability. This is a major step forward and a privilege. Behind us, we now have not only a giant from Europe but also one from China, which is the most technologically advanced industry and the most desirable market. An exciting period lies ahead, and LEONI Serbia is ready for hard work and new achievements as part of the LEONI Group.
