11 months ago, the shoe manufacturing company “Mito” in Berat benefited 1000 m2 for a 1 euro rent, and began a $ 1 million investment for new production facilities. Only in the first 6 months of this year, 300 thousand Euros were invested in new machinery, in addition to benefiting the Zero VAT on machinery and equipment, as a government incentive to support this production.
“We made this investment after 11 months. Currently the factory is working 70% as toll manufacturing with a closed cycle, and 30% of our products are in the international market. We have invested in many new machineries. The VAT exclusion is a very important factor which helps us in economic terms. Only in the period from January to the end of June, we have invested approximately 300 thousand Euros in machinery, in technology. In addition to investing for the reconstruction of the object, investment that has exceeded 1 million Euros”, the owner Kriton Prendi said.
The managers of this business share the same concern with the other entrepreneurs. “There are 488 workers here. The minimum wage is 22 thousand ALL cash, plus social insurance, the maximum age amounts to 70-80 thousand ALL cash, plus social insurance. We don’t have a full production capacity. We have made a request, but the work force is lacking. The problem is qualification, we have to provide training.”
“Mito” produces for the best-known international brands, and has come to the world market with its trademark “Caterina Firenze”. Its products are present in the European, American and Asian market. Its production capacity is 2,500 pairs of shoes per day. “Our strong point, the entrepreneur said, is the fact that today we are in the world market with a competitive Albanian product, because we have the opportunity to have a lower cost than our European partners. This is in our favour.”
The goal of the company is to establish a vocational school, in cooperation with the Ministry of Social Welfare and Youth, for the preparation of technicians and designers, and not only to produce toll manufacturing shoes, but also clothing.
