03.11.2010.

Minister visits Krusevac

Minister of Defense Dragan Sutanovac visited Krusevac, where he toured the defense factory IMK 14 October for machines and machine components, while also meeting with representatives of local government.

On this occasion he announced the purchase of new equipment and the expansion of capacity, "The Machine and Machine Components Factory" 14 October.

Sutanovac told reporters that, with the help of the Serbian government, "we can buy some segments for the factory forge ", which would virtually finalize the entire production required for defense purposes but also for export of the defense products.

He stressed that the factory was of strategic importance for the defense industry Serbia, adding that during today's visit he discussed with management the possibility of expanding the capacities and the procurement of new equipment.

The Defense Minister said that the new equipment will allow the segments currently imported from abroad to be produced in the factory, which would save the defense system a lot of money.

Furthermore, Sutanovac said that the IMC had a rather large debt, which had been reduced by 50%, and expressed his expectation that the 14 October factory would also be additionally engaged just like the factory in Valjevo “Krusik "and "Sloboda Cacak”.

He announced that by the end of the year he would visit the holding company Prva petoletka from Trstenik, and that in the first months of the 2011 this factory will sign export contracts which would provide work for many people.

During the talks he expressed his satisfaction that all six factories of the Serbian defense industry were working in three shifts and have deadlines to meet. "

General Manager of the factory Zoran Radmanovac informed the Minister about the manufacturing processes and factories - from construction machinery to defense products.

Sutanovac said that these six factories in the defense industry should remain state-owned and should be run by the state. On this occasion he said that these factories were a great resource that the defense system must not lose as some regional countries did.

"We are aware that a large number of countries in transition has lost the capacity of the defense industry and have to buy the products of the area from abroad," he said.

Sutanovac reminded that Serbia is one of the smallest states with the largest exports of arms and military equipment and that this trend should be maintained in the future.

He said that private companies issued a large number of licenses for the production of weapons and military equipment in Serbia.

Sutanovac explained that the private owners showed interest in the production of ballistic equipment, and uniforms for security and police forces.

He added that for Serbia every foreign investor who wants to come and invest in production is more than welcome and valuable, saying it was necessary to define by law both the state and private partnership.

The ministry of defense is in the process of finalizing the project of establishing a Defense University in Belgrade, which will offer undergraduate Military Academy and the Military Medical Academy study programs where engineering can be studies, as Minister announced on the occasion.
After touring the 14 October machine and machine components industry, he reminded that “we have an extensive experience which we acquired in the Military Academy in Zagreb”.
In his words, the largest number of top quality engineers has completed that school in Zagreb. And he also said that by opening this university “we create conditions for the development of our defense industry” and for foreign associates wishing to apply to the graduate study programs these two schools have to offer.

”It is our wish for a certain number of the students of this region to come to Belgrade to study”, as Minister of Defense said.
Before touring 14 October, he talked with the members of the local self-government and the possibility for exchanging the surplus of military property for residential units.