Novation Tech opens a new plant in Monastir, Tunisia
Novation Tech, an Italian-based company and European leader in carbon and composite material processing, announces the opening of a new plant in Tunisia, specifically dedicated to automotive supplies.
This move expands its international presence, which already includes plants in Hungary and Croatia, in addition to its 3 locations in Italy.
The operation was finalised in recent weeks with the creation of Novation Tech Tunisia and the leasing of a newly built facility in Monastir, a coastal city located 160 km south of Tunis, within a modern technology park that hosts several international automotive companies, including Japanese, Korean and Chinese firms, as well as some Italian companies.
A strategic investment
The new plant covers an area of 4,400 m2, for a total investment of around €5 million. The financial partner for the operation is Intesa Sanpaolo. Interior setup work has already begun, entrusted to local and Italian companies. Once the machinery arrives, the 1st employees will be hired and trained on-site by Italian staff from the Montebelluna facility. The goal is to start minor production by the end of November and to be fully operational at the beginning of 2026. The plant is expected to reach full capacity at the beginning of the following year.
This new investment is closely tied to Novation Tech’s growth needs and the strategy to create greater production capacity in order to provide better service to current and potential new clients, as explained by Luca Businaro, CEO of Novation Tech: “Tunisia is strategic both in terms of employment and logistics. We chose Monastir because of its long textile tradition, which represents valuable know-how for carbon fibre processing and allows us to replicate what we have already done in Montebelluna, where we drew on the professional skills present in the Sportsystem district.”
The employment plan foresees the initial hiring of 20 employees, which will rise to 250 within a year and a half, with a predominance of female workers. “The other key point is logistics. Monastir overlooks the Mediterranean, and the maritime connections between Tunis and Genoa allow us to transfer goods within 3 days. Production will be dedicated exclusively to the automotive sector, with the initial processing stages – particularly lamination (a completely manual process), extraction and milling – taking place here. The semi-finished products will then be sent to Italy, to the Montebelluna, Trevignano or Oderzo plants, for the subsequent painting and finishing stages.”
A strong Italian presence in Tunisia
The investment is part of the strong Italian presence in Tunisia, where about 900 companies operate, employing a total of 70,000 people and representing almost a third of the foreign companies in the country (source: MAECI Economic Observatory). “We cannot yet speak of an ecosystem of Italian companies, but the path is certainly set, thanks also to the economic planning of the Tunisian Government, which is working to create the right infrastructures, such as the Monastir technology park, and to activate trade agreements that allow goods to be transferred without duties.”
Novation Tech recently closed its 2024 financial statements with revenues of €117 million (+12.5%) and an Ebitda of 13.2%, confirming growth contrary to the general automotive trend. The investment in Tunisia is part of the strategy to create additional production capacity to meet the potential future needs of the sectors in which the company operates.
“Recently, we have been evaluating projects for the coming years, which will further occupy production capacity, and the investment in Tunisia fits exactly into the plan to increase this capacity to maintain flexibility and supply security for our clients. Sharing this decision with some of our clients has already allowed us to develop new projects for 2027-28,” Mr Businaro concludes.
Cover photo: Novation Tunisia
