Smart factories and a cleaner future

In 2010, Nataša Jovčeska returned to Ohrid, a Unesco World Heritage town on the edge of a beautiful lake. She had been working in Skopje, North Macedonia, for several years as a financial auditor, but it was time to come home.

She joined LTH Learnica as a finance manager and slowly began to oversee production. The local company makes aluminium car components, such as engine blocks, cylinder heads and transmission housings. She is now general manager at a crucial time for the company.

“The automobile industry faces significant challenges, such as rapidly changing technology and pressure to adopt changing global regulations,” she says.

Established in 2005, Learnica has over 500 employees. Making aluminium castings takes a lot of energy and labour. Jovčeska and her team are automating production. The company has purchased new foundry machines to produce engine blocks and other components on a bigger scale, improving productivity while using less electricity because the new machines use power only when needed.

“We managed to transform three working stations and three separate machines into a single robot-automated working centre,” Jovčevska says. A single person can run the automated centre, significantly improving the working conditions of the employees. “This improved manufacturing process has led to higher product quality and accelerated production.”

The European Investment Bank loaned Learnica €1.5 million in 2024 through NLB Bank Skopje to finance the new machines and make other improvements.

“We’re making it easier for businesses to grow, keep up with new technologies and standards, and stay competitive,” says Björn Gabriel, the head of the EIB office in North Macedonia.

The Learnica financing is part of a €100 million loan the European Investment Bank provided North Macedonia in 2023 to support businesses after the COVID-19 and energy crises. Part of that money is supporting a green financing programme that is helping 120 small and medium-sized businesses implement 150 energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. These projects helped to create or sustain over 1 000 jobs across North Macedonia.

Under the programme, the Development Bank of North Macedonia gives loans to local banks, and these banks offer small loans to car component manufacturers, waste management firms, food producers and many other businesses to help them cut emissions, improve energy efficiency and adapt to climate change.

“By empowering small companies to invest in cleaner technologies and processes, we are fostering innovation and moving closer to a low-carbon, resilient economy," says Aleksandar Stanojkovski, head of the lending department at the Development Bank of North Macedonia.

Learnica is part of LTH Castings Group, a Slovenian company that is one of the leading European suppliers to the automotive industry, with clients such as Mercedes-Benz, Bosch, BMW and Continental. Learnica and other companies in the Western Balkans are preparing for new EU fees on carbon emissions, known as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, which will start in 2026.

The mechanism is a new tool that puts a carbon price on goods imported into the European Union. The EU goal is to be be carbon neutral by 2050. North Macedonia is not part of the European Union, but its products are used in EU goods and will count toward this new carbon fee. EU firms must track and report emissions that are created by their products inside and outside the European Union. As of January 2026, EU manufacturers will need to purchase certificates to cover these emissions.

"Achieving carbon neutrality is one of our core strategic goals,” Jovčevska says. “We have embedded this objective into every investment and improvement made in our production processes over the past ten years.”

Learnica is located in Ohrid, a city known for its rich cultural heritage. The town sits on the edge of Lake Ohrid, one of Europe’s deepest and oldest lakes, which is home to a unique aquatic ecosystem that includes many species highly sensitive to pollution and climate change.

“We wanted to reduce the negative impact that an industry such as ours can have on the environment, especially given the importance of Ohrid to Macedonians,” Jovčeska says.

To limit its environmental impact, Learnica uses “green” aluminium made from recycled materials, which takes 95% less energy to produce than aluminium made from primary raw materials. The company has also introduced several other green initiatives, such as producing heat from melting furnaces, installing solar panels to generate electricity, and developing a water-cooling system that purifies and recycles water used in the manufacturing process.

Otpad Ohrid, a family-owned waste management company established over 20 years ago, used a €600 000 loan provided under the EIB green financing programme to improve waste collection and sorting. The company bought two machines that separate metal from trash, which improves recycling. The shredders separate ferrous materials, commercial and industrial waste, as well as automotive and light scrap metals.

“These machines have transformed our workflow,” says the company’s manager, Martin Djukleski, whose grandfather started the company. “Employees now work in a safer and more efficient workspace, thanks to less need for heavy manual labour. Our processing methods are now more sustainable, with less waste produced and a larger percentage of materials properly recycled and repurposed.”

The new machines also use less energy by adjusting the shredding force depending on the material encountered.

“They sort more trash in six hours than older machines used to do in a week,” Djukleski says.

The company’s efforts come at a crucial time. North Macedonia has problems with illegal dumpsites because it lacks adequate waste collection and recycling systems.

Vitaminka, a company in Prilep that makes confectionery, cooking oil, drinks, sauces and other food products, used a €1.65 million loan from the green financing programme to install solar panels on its factory roof and automate packaging machines.  

“The new machines have sped up production and improved working conditions by reducing repetitive manual work,” says Ivan Stezoski, the company’s financial manager.

The solar panels produce enough electricity to cover about 35% of the company’s needs, significantly reducing its use of fossil fuels. Farming and food production account for one-quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing energy consumption helps cut emissions and costs.

Vitaminka, which was founded 70 years ago to make ground red pepper, exports 45% of its products to about 30 countries. The company has elaborate systems that ensure quality and safety. Those systems help it meet stringent EU rules and other standards.

“Complying with the latest EU and international social and environmental standards helps us maintain access to important export markets,” Stezovski says.