AmCham Macedonia Winter 2016 (issue 48) | Page 29

AMCHAM NEWS Wabtec MZT Transfers Knowledge to Local Companies AmCham Patron member, Wabtec MZT, welcomed a number of small to medium company owners to tour its Skopje factory and to offer free training opportunities on topics such as total quality management. Wabtec’s HR Director, Ivana Dojcinovska- Stojanovic explained the initiative this way, One of the big advantages to having a company like Wabtec operating in Macedonia is that an innovative, competitive, global player is actively engaged with local suppliers and has a vested interest in local SMEs’ development and improvement. It’s important to point out that this is not a ‘zero cost’ activity; company staff and resources are invested to make knowledge transfer to SMEs and students possible. Wabtec MZT is willing to invest in these activities because it is in the company’s own interest to upgrade more local suppliers to be able to meet its product and service needs locally. The same is true for increasing the pool of qualified labor coming out of local high schools and universities. While these efforts don’t always translate into tangible return on investment for Wabtec MZT, the company believes that it must do all it can to advance skills and quality in its sector in any way it can. The effort is well-aligned with AmCham Macedonia’s ongoing efforts to promote cooperation and knowledge transfer between foreign investors and the local business community and could be expanded to include a number of companies, sectors and topics. AmCham would like to recognize CEED Macedonia for their help spreading the word among their SME members about this first visit! NEW MEMBER HIGHLIGHT Ericsson is a world ICT leader in the rapidly changing environment of communications technology – providing equipment, software and services to enable transformation through mobility. Our leadership in technology and services has been a driving force behind the expansion and improvement of connectivity worldwide. We believe that through mobility, our society can be transformed for the better. New innovations and forms of expression are finding a greater audience, industries and hierarchies are being revolutionized, and we are seeing a fundamental change in the way we communicate, socialize and make decisions together. Some 40 percent of global mobile traffic runs through networks we have supplied. More than 1 billion subscribers around the world rely every day on networks that we manage. With more than 37,000 granted patents, we have one of the industry’s strongest intellectual property rights portfolios. These exciting changes represent the realization of our vision: a Networked Society, where every person and every industry is empowered to reach their full potential. Ericsson has been an established part of the Macedonian marketplace since 1997. We provide solutions and services to companies in telecommunications and other sectors. For more information, visit www.ericsson.com. Winter 2016 Issue 48  29