In his speech, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev congratulated the participants on the opening of the plant, emphasizing that this event is an important step in the development of Kazakhstan's machine-building industry.
He recalled that two years ago, during a visit to Kostanay, production of KIA Sportage cars was launched, and today, in accordance with the agreement with KIA Motors Corporation, a full-fledged enterprise is starting operations.
The Head of State expressed his sincere gratitude to KIA Corporation President Ho-sung Song and KIA Corporation, noting the scale of the work accomplished and the strengthening of mutually beneficial and fruitful ties between the parties.
"Today's momentous event is a vivid example of the strategic partnership and successful relations between Kazakhstan and the Republic of Korea. The Republic of Korea is a reliable partner of Kazakhstan in Asia. We are interested in further deepening our cooperation. Today, more than 800 Korean companies are successfully operating in Kazakhstan. At the same time, there is every reason to believe that the automotive industry is one of the key areas of our mutually beneficial cooperation, and the opening of this unique plant is a clear confirmation of this. KIA Corporation is one of the world's ten largest automakers and one of the three most popular car brands among Kazakhstani citizens. It is symbolic that the KIA brand name consists of two characters – “rising” and “Asia.” The company has indeed become a vivid embodiment of Asia's new economic rise and revival. KIA is a corporation of the future, whose cars harmoniously combine advanced technology, expressive design, and high reliability, said the President.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted that KIA, as a socially responsible company, makes a significant contribution to the development of human capital and actively invests in the training of qualified specialists.
"Even before launching its plant in our country, the global automotive giant began building long-term partnerships with Kazakh and Korean universities and colleges. In addition, the company plans to launch a corporate training center to prepare qualified personnel. KIA's example shows that caring for employees is an important part of its organizational culture, creating an atmosphere of genuine respect and sincere solidarity. It is precisely this attitude towards working people that contributes to the affirmation of the values of hard work and social justice in our society. The plant focuses on localizing production, which will significantly increase the Kazakhstani content in its products. According to experts' estimates, each job at the car plant indirectly creates up to five or six additional jobs in logistics, services, and infrastructure. This is not just a linear expansion, but a big step towards the formation of a full-fledged industrial cluster, where small and medium-sized businesses will have a real opportunity for stable development. Such a comprehensive approach to the organization of production will strengthen the industrial potential not only of the Kostanay region, but of our entire country. I am confident that the KIA plant will become a new growth point for the Kazakhstani automotive industry. The operation of the new enterprise will also contribute to the dynamic renewal of the domestic vehicle fleet. This will have a positive impact on road safety on the streets of our cities and highways", the Head of State believes.
The President noted that the state gives priority attention to the development of the machine-building industry.
Last year, more than 290 billion tenge was invested in this sector, which is two and a half times more than the previous year. The positive trend continues: since the beginning of this year, 178 billion tenge has already been invested in the industry. Investors are showing great interest in Kazakhstan. Thanks to the implementation of large-scale measures, significant progress has been achieved. Last year, more than 145,000 cars were produced in the country. Automotive companies operate in Astana, Almaty, Semey, Uralsk, Kokshetau, Kostanay, and Saran. More than 10,000 citizens are employed in this sector, almost half of whom are young people. One and a half thousand jobs are being created directly at the plant in Kostanay. Employees will learn new skills and become qualified specialists. I am confident that in the future, the enterprise will become a real breeding ground for engineering personnel, said Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
The President announced that the Government had recently been tasked with developing specific measures to stabilize the economic situation, and a number of important decisions had been taken in this regard.
"Citizens will now have the opportunity to purchase cars on lease, which will make them more affordable for the population. The launch of the KIA Qazaqstan plant will undoubtedly give a powerful impetus to the technological modernization of the entire industry. I believe that in the future, the company will master the production of other new car models. This will create an opportunity to supply our cars, which meet advanced international standards, to foreign markets. Kazakhstan is ready to contribute to the development of the global automotive industry," the President concluded his speech.
Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev awarded KIA Corporation President Ho-sung Song with the Order of Dostyk, 2nd class.
"We highly appreciate your contribution to the development of Kazakh-Korean cooperation and the strengthening of friendship between our peoples. You have made a truly significant contribution to the development of our country's automotive industry," said the President.
The decision to build the KIA Qazaqstan plant was made in 2023. The enterprise is located in the Kostanay industrial zone on a land plot of 62.95 hectares. The plant's production capacity is 70,000 cars per year, with an investment volume of 131.5 billion tenge. The enterprise has created 1,500 jobs, and its product markets are Kazakhstan, Central Asian countries, and the EAEU.
Sourse: akorda.kz
