Hella May Expand Slovenian Unit

Hella Saturnus Slovenija d.o.o., a supplier of automotive interior and exterior lighting systems, generated revenues of €250 million in 2010 and reached a net profit of €21 million. The company, a which is a member of German Hella Group, plans to expand operations, for which the it is seeking state support, Slovenia Times reports, citing a company official.

Hella Saturnus General Manager Christoph Droste said that 2010 saw another successful year for the company, which has increased sales by 2.5-fold since 2007, when it stood at €90 million. In this time, the company has added 1,000 jobs and is planning to create more as part of a five-year, €60 million investment project, said Droste.

He announced that the company had launched talks with the Economy Ministry in a bid to obtain a subsidy from the state for the new projects. The GM pointed out that Hella, a German automotive parts supplier, had not been viewed as a direct foreign investor when it acquired Saturnus because it had established a holding company in Slovenia for this purpose.