Mali: First robot factory to be completed within the next six weeksSerbian Monitor
Finance Minister Siniša Mali announced today that Serbia’s first humanoid robot factory, located in Šabac, will be completed within the next six weeks. According to him, the facility will manufacture between 1,000 and 2,000 robots per year.
Mali also revealed that a robot training centre is expected to open by the end of the year.
“When you build a robot, it needs to be trained. These robots can perform a wide range of tasks, from making coffee and preparing drinks to working as hotel receptionists, not to mention their potential applications in the defence industry,” Mali told Tanjug.
The minister explained that the third phase of the project will involve the integration of artificial intelligence. He added that robots are capable of learning, evolving, collecting knowledge from data centres around the world, and developing the ability to work and think much faster and more efficiently.
“A robot does not need sleep or lunch breaks. It works 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We visited a Xiaomi factory in China. You enter the factory and there are no people, only robots. Then, if I recall correctly, a new car comes off the production line every 78 seconds, and it is flawless. These are the kinds of things we must pursue because they allow us to become more competitive and productive. Without this, there can be no progress and no successful sale of products and goods on the global market,” Mali said.
He noted that acquiring the necessary technology and expertise is not easy, but that Serbia’s agreement with China provides access to both. Mali emphasised the importance of training Serbian researchers, entrepreneurs, and business leaders to adopt new technologies. He added that Chinese President Xi Jinping, during the visit of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and the Serbian state delegation to China, announced 50 new research projects with various Serbian institutes aimed at developing advanced technologies.
“Technologies that currently do not exist in Serbia will help ensure that the country becomes a leader in Europe in the application of these innovations. This will make us more competitive and more successful than others,” Mali stressed.
Speaking about the significance of the robot factory, he said it represents a new future and a new direction for Serbia’s economic development.
“From a country that was on the brink of bankruptcy 15 years ago, we are now making a quantum leap into robotics, artificial intelligence, innovation, and research centres. That is the future, and Serbia will not fall behind. On the contrary, it will be ahead of everyone else,” Mali told Tanjug.
Commenting on President Aleksandar Vučić’s recent visit to China, Mali said that the central focus of every one of Vučić’s foreign visits is the economy and identifying ways to improve the lives of Serbian citizens.
He highlighted the agreements signed with Chinese companies as the most significant outcome of the visit, noting that they will generate 1,650 new jobs and attract investments worth €953 million.
(B92, 02.06.2026)
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