Roman Nicu
This was reported to Logos Press by Vitalie Yesanu, head of the Association of Moldovan Electronic Industry Enterprises (ACEM) and the company Informbusiness, known in the country for launching trolleybuses running on batteries. We wrote about the plant in Truseni village in the capital municipality, where the company will produce trolleybuses, a month ago. The project will cover the entire production cycle – from the design and development of the vehicle to its final assembly.
According to Vitalie Eşanu, at the moment the company’s specialists are busy with procedural problems related to the launch of the plant. “We are laying communications and solving organizational issues together with the local authorities,” he said. – Ecology alone took us three months. It took us even longer to deal with the problem of changing the designation of the land on which the plant is being built.
These two ambitious projects Moldovan electronics workers promise to implement in the near future. The challenges and prospects of the sector were discussed for two days during the fourth edition of Moldova Electronics Forum. It took place on May 13-14 in the capital. The forum was organized by ACEM.
The projects of the company “Informbusiness” are aimed at returning to Moldova the interest in high-tech industries, for which the republic was once famous. The second day of Moldova Electronics Forum, including a robotics exhibition, a job fair and a hackathon, was dedicated to young engineers and programmers working at the intersection of electronics and information technology.
Moldova has some tools to stimulate the growth of the sector, the participants of the event stated. A few years ago, the government expanded the range of activities in Moldova IT Park. Those of the market operators who are engaged in research and development, as well as those who work at the interface with IT, enjoy a single tax of 7%. Industrial parks can be another opportunity for development. As well as the education system, which is adapted to the needs of the electronics industry and produces qualified specialists. The contribution of external partners is also important, which helps Moldovan specialists to integrate into the international network of the electronics industry
During the plenary sessions, discussions took place around the changes in the global economy that have taken place in recent months. Although many in the sector are more involved in services that are not subject to duties imposed by the USA, they may indirectly affect the activity of Moldovan companies working with EU countries. The situation is also exacerbated by competition in the EU from China, where such production is subvented.
The firm “Mechatronics” works with Germany and Switzerland. It has an office in Romania, as it is easier to work with EU countries through it. It is an outsourcing company that designs medical devices and is a resident of the IT Park. It has been working since 2016 and only for export.
“Although our market is complex and peculiar, we have found our niche,” says Roman Nicu, the company’s technical director. -In Germany, for example, they prefer their own projects and are reluctant to outsource them. It is difficult to get through to them, even if you already have experience and a name. In other countries, the prices for our services are low, so it is not profitable to work there. In Italy and former socialist countries, the work of engineers costs almost as much as in Moldova, so we cannot offer them our services.
But in any case, electronics is promising and will grow, he emphasizes. Today any device is equipped with electronic components and software. This includes “smart systems” and artificial intelligence capabilities. Therefore, the harmonization of our legislation with the European legislation in the electronics industry, although it initially implies certain entrepreneurial costs, will generally simplify access to the foreign market.
