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# How local is local?
- URL: https://www.plasticsiq.com/how-local-is-local/
- Published: 2026-10-30T08:27:19.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-30T08:40:16.000Z
- Author: Giulia Daniele
- Tags: BP&R Magazine, Insights, Injection Moulding

Gone are the days when people assumed Chinese machinery was so affordable to be, by extension, inferior. The learning curve has been steep, but necessary. And if there were still any doubts about how far Chinese machinery manufacturers have come, the opening of the Haitian’s €120m Serbian facility should put a few of them to rest – I hope? 

The 60,000 m² of production space – with an additional 60,000 m² available – and an expected output of 500-600 machines during 2026 and into 2027 highlight the importance of local capabilities, R&D and supply-chain resilience. While manufacturers are relocating production to Asia, particularly China, Haitian is bringing Chinese manufacturing expertise and capacity closer to its European customers. The facility currently produces Mars servo-hydraulic and Jupiter two-platen machines, with bigger machines planned for 2027, with Serbia hosting the largest overhead crane in the Haitian Group.

But let’s address the elephant in the room: why Serbia? Open the map, and the answer will come to you fairly easily. Strategically positioned between the EU and the wider markets of Southeast Europe, Serbia offers Haitian the biggest shot at serving its European and MEA customers without relying on machines travelling halfway across the globe. 

But geography alone doesn’t explain (nor justify) a €120m investment. Serbia has a long-established industrial and engineering base, and has become increasingly integrated into European supply chains. This combination matters. Local production is about more than simply assembling machines closer to the customer; it’s about developing access to the people, suppliers and infrastructure needed to support long-term success. 

This redefines the meaning of ‘localisation’ to a considerable extent. If a machine is manufactured in Serbia but remains dependent on a predominantly Chinese supply chain, how local is it? Haitian is betting that localisation can be a gradual process rather than an overnight transformation. Production capacity comes first, followed by the development of local sourcing, engineering and R&D capabilities. The more of that ecosystem that develops around the plant, the more meaningful the European manufacturing footprint becomes. Which we could argue matters even more than the actual number of machines coming off the production line.

European customers want shorter lead times, easier access to service and greater certainty around supply. Manufacturing within the region could address all three, while also reducing some of the logistics and geopolitical issues of shipping machines from China.

> Haitian’s Serbian investment raises a question for the machinery industry: are we moving towards a model in which ‘Chinese’ and ‘European’ manufacturing become less useful distinctions? If production, engineering and technical support increasingly happen in Europe, the more relevant question may be, ‘Where is a machine made for?’ rather than, ‘Where are its manufacturer’s headquarters?’

The Ruma plant is still at the beginning of this journey. Its real test will be how quickly production scales and whether the investment translates into the responsiveness European processors expect from their machinery suppliers. Whatever the future holds, we’ll have to wait and see. But for now, Haitian has once again confirmed that being close to its customers isn’t just a nice-to-have, but a business priority.