Two residents of ZEL “Valkanes” invest in footwear and fridges

Two resident companies of the Free Enterprise Zone (ZEL) “Valkanes” situated in Vulcanesti district will invest €3 million in the production of footwear and the construction of fridges for storing agricultural products, Info-Prim Neo reports, quoting a communiqué from the Ministry of Economy. The first new residents of the zone, which represent a group of Ukrainian companies, are to invest about 3 million lei in the launch of separate business lines for the manufacture of footwear. About 600,000 pairs of shoes will be made annually and the yearly sales are expected to total about €12 million. The 150 employees will get an average pay of €300. €1 million will be invested in the construction of a production block. The products will be exported to the CIS and the EU. The second resident company, SRL WTS Invest Business Park, will build fridges for storing agricultural products. The company will buy a plot of seven hectares on which to build the necessary infrastructure, at a cost of about half a million euros. Since the start of this year, the Free Enterprise Zone “Valkanes” attracted investments of US$11.4 million, including US$0.4 million in 2011. The production of industrial goods is the main kind of activity in the zone. The net sales of industrial products in 2011 totaled 222.6 million lei (in current prices), up 6.8% compared with the previous year. The wine grape and fuel for heating are the major products made in the zone and are mainly oriented for export.