Fico: Automation Key to Tackling Slovakia's Labour Shortage

Poprad/Bratislava, 11 June (TASR) - Automation and robotisation are among the ways to respond to the acute labour shortage facing Slovakia, where the industrial sector is short of 130,000 workers, Prime Minister Robert Fico declared during a press briefing held on Thursday as part of his visit to rail freight-wagon manufacturer Tatravagonka in Poprad (Presov region). The company is preparing to launch what it says will be the largest robotic painting line for freight railway wagons in the European Union. Following approval for a trial run by the Slovak Environmental Inspectorate, the company will put both its new production hall and the robotic painting line into operation. "When we were informed that Tatravagonka was interested in building a fully automated painting line, we immediately began discussions on cooperation. We're pleased to say that the investment, into which the company has put €13 million has been successful. It's a fully automated painting line, and at the end of 2024 the government also approved investment aid in the form of tax relief worth more than €5 million," said Fico. He noted that Tatravagonka closely monitors economic developments across Europe because it exports 100 percent of its products and therefore has a clear picture of the condition of the European economy based on wagon sales. "Nevertheless, I'm pleased to state that Slovakia is home to the largest railway wagon manufacturer in Europe. Tatravagonka currently accounts for more than 45 percent of the entire European market. That represents 4,000 wagons and 10,000 bogies annually," the prime minister stated, adding that he'll do everything possible in cooperation with other government ministries to ensure that part of the company's production remains in Slovakia. Chair of the Tatravagonka board of directors Alexej Beljajev said that the company is in discussions with the Defence Ministry, which needs to increase the number of wagons supplied to its motorised brigade after an earlier delivery around two years ago. "We've made a deal on prices and terms, and we believe that it may be possible to manufacture several more wagons for the Defence Ministry this year," he noted. Beljajev added that the company's products are exported throughout Europe. "We're discussing possibilities for expanding production capacity towards the Middle East and Africa because, given our current share of production in Europe, further increases in output are limited by anti-monopoly regulations. We also have partial production in India, where we are the second-largest wagon manufacturer," he said. mf/df