On 05/03/2024, in the premises of Mann+Hummel BA company in Tešanj, a meeting of the Automotive Industry Group of BiH (GAI BiH) was held. On that occasion, 12 companies attended the meeting, employing more than 5,000 workers in total.
The meeting began with a presentation by the director of Mann+Hummel BA, Mahmut Galijašević, who introduced us to the current situation in the company, with emphasis on the latest implemented digitalization and LEAN management systems. After the presentation, a discussion was opened among the representatives of the attending companies. We were informed that acquisitions in the automotive industry have expanded to the wider region, as well as EU countries. Certain automotive companies from neighboring countries, namely Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia, as well as Spain, have been acquired. Although the current situation in the automotive industry worldwide is very challenging, one of the recommendations from the meeting is to invest in production digitalization and in new production capacities, as well as in low-volume high-mix jobs.
The discussion continued on the topic of reporting obligations under CBAM, the prospects for establishing an ETS system in BiH, as well as investments in solar power plants for own consumption with the aim of obtaining guarantees of origin, i.e. certificates that would be used when exporting products to EU countries. Also, one of the topics of the meeting was the unpreparedness and lack of readiness of distributors of certain goods and materials in BiH and the region when it comes to CBAM reporting obligations, which creates major problems for BiH exporting companies in terms of their reporting to end customers.
What is especially worth highlighting is that companies from BiH increasingly have, in addition to the production component, a development component in their portfolios. And not only for products manufactured in parent companies, but also for products manufactured in other companies around the world.
After the working part of the meeting, a visit was organized to the production section of Mann+Hummel BA, during which the latest installed digital tools were demonstrated, with emphasis on the savings and benefits achieved through their installation. On this occasion, the next steps were agreed upon regarding the activities and directions of action of GAI BiH in 2024.
