The representatives of the Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency (SARIO) participated at the Automotive Scoping Mission of British Automotive Suppliers, organized by the British Embassy in Bratislava and the British-Slovak Chamber of Commerce. The event took place from the October 7th to 9th, 2015 with the main objective to introduce the Slovak business environment and supply chain opportunities to British companies active in automotive industry. SARIO has contributed to the event with the presentation about Slovak business environment and organization of several accompanying meetings.British companies had the opportunity to meet representatives from the British and the Slovak business institutions in Bratislava, at the premises of the British Slovak Business Centre. The opening speech was delivered by Andrew Garth, the British Ambassador to Slovakia. He was followed by Ivana Winbladh, the Head of the UK Trade & Investment and Chris Plant, the CEO of the British Slovak Business Centre. The welcoming notes were followed by the main part of the programme - presentation about Slovak business environment by Milan Gavlak, the representative of the Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency. As a part of the presentation, Milan Gavlak introduced the main advantages of investing in Slovakia, main sectors of the Slovak economy emphasizing the automotive industry and its strong suppliers network established in Slovakia as well he explained the role of SARIO in attracting new investors. The Slovak automotive industry was presented by Jan Pribula from the Slovak Automotive Association and practical experience with clients from automotive industry was shared by consultants from Ernst & Young. After the successful opening in Bratislava, SARIO accompanied the delegation to Nitra, for meeting with city representatives at the Municipal office. After the opening speech of Deputy Mayor, the meeting continued with the roundtable discussion, during which SARIO representatives contributed to the topics related to investments and labour market conditions in Slovakia. Afterwards, the SARIO representatives lead the delegation to the site visit of Industrial zone of city of Nitra. The programme continued with the visits of various Slovak companies in Nitra Region and guided visit of the Autoshow Nitra 2015 on the following day.The companies involved appreciated well prepared programme of the mission, which helped them to discover their supply chain potential in Slovakia. Furthermore, this event has certainly contributed to the future business cooperation between Slovakia and Great Britain.
