Family Business Slovenia 2022

It is difficult to imagine what it takes to pack and transport a 5.6 meters long, 5 meters wide, and 4.3 meters high battery weighing 86 tons from one end of the world to another in an efficient, quick and reliable fashion. In this case, the battery was transported on the road to the Donava river port, moved along the river on a barge to a northern sea port, transferred to a container ship headed to the USA, where it was unloaded at the port and transported on the road for the final leg of the journey to its final destination, a hydroelectric power plant. Comark, a Ljubljana-based project logistics company specialized in large, heavy and difficult transports can easily meet such challenges. The company has celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2022 and they are proud of their ability to ensure high-quality out-of-gauge transportation all over the world. 61% of Comark’s revenues are generated by foreign clients on the global market and 39% by domestic customers, with whom they mainly collaborate on industrial production export projects and on imports projects that required the transport of investment equipment. In collaboration with their related company Paklog d.o.o., an overseas wood packaging specialist, they can offer a comprehensive packaging and overseas transport solution to their clients. The related companies generate around  €19 million in revenue from and employ around 80 people. The driving force behind this remarkable story is a strategist and visionary Branko Butala, owner and Executive Director of Comark d.o.o. His vision is also carried out and expanded upon by his son Klemen and daughter Patricija.

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Lifting and moving a helicopter, statues, chapels, and haystacks, or moving a submarine into a military museum are challenges only a few can take on, but in their 40 years of operations, Dvig d.o.o. has done all that and more. Their team of experienced professional takes care of machine relocations, transport and can lift even the most difficult loads. The beginnings of today’s company go back to the 1970s, but Dvig d.o.o. was officially founded by Franc Jeraj in 1980. Today, the company with around 40 employees is based in Sinja Gorica near Vrhnika and is successfully managed by Franc’ sons, Janez and Miha Jeraj. The company has the largest fleet of lifts in Slovenia and they proudly tell that clients often call them to work on projects other providers are unable to implement due to technical difficulty or time limitations. “We are the first choice for projects that demand individual approach and work plan as well as total reliability,” they explain.

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Chimney sweeps have always been known to bring good luck: when you see one passing by, grab a button and spin it three times. EKO DIM has been bringing us luck and keeping our homes safe for 70 years, since 1952. At the beginning, the company was called Dimnikarsko podjetje Prevalje and operated in the Koroška region, but over the years, their scope has expanded significantly. In the 1990s, the company was renamed EKO DIM d.o.o. and successfully underwent the transition to a privately-owned company under the leadership of Dušan Krebel, who is currently its majority owner. Today, EKO DIM is based in Ravne na Koroškem and offers services in the Koroška region, in Zgornja Savinja and Spodnja Savinja Valleys and beyond. With 20 employees, EKO DIM is one of the largest chimney sweeping companies in Slovenia. “Chimney sweeps must have a great sense for the people, as they are one of the few who still enter our homes and are almost always warmly welcomed,” points out Dušan.

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Herman Rauter, the founder and now retired former Director of Hermi, could never remain indifferent when he saw destroyed or damaged buildings which had been struck by lightning. Almost four decades ago, he entered the commercial world to focus on electrical measurement and restoring lightning protection systems. His small craft business soon developed and over 30 years became an internationally successful manufacturing company, which is today managed by his son Miran Rauter. With four main product ranges – lightning protection, surge protection, cable trays and cable ladders, plus mounting systems for solar power plants – the company created more than EUR 20 million in revenue last year and has over 120 employees in Slovenia and abroad. They have a particular advantage over their competition from ownership of a larger number of patents, a cutting-edge development department, reliable production and exceptional before and after sales support. From the very beginning, the guiding principle of this successful Slovenian company, today located in Celje, has been looking to the future and staying “ahead of its time”.

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Cranes are very interesting. Through them, without a GDP analysis, you can get a sense of a country’s stage of development. They are symbols of progress and without them, there is no construction,” says Andrej Klančar, Director of the family company Klančar Žerjavi. They provide various maintenance  services for operation of these large construction machines and they also rent out their own cranes and other construction equipment. It is testament to their success that passers-by can observe these mighty structures on the construction sites of many ambitious and far-reaching construction projects. At the end of 2008, Andrej took over as Director from his father, the retired founder Miro Klančar. The story of this family business, from the town of Križ pri Sežani, is one of perseverance, sacrifice, cooperation and trust, qualities which underpin not only their business success, but also their personal relationships. In 2021, they had 21 employees in their team, the company’s revenues amounted to EUR 4.2 million and the added value per employee that year was EUR 82,000. 

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Magneti Ljubljana have been making permanent metallic magnets, bonded magnets and magnetic systems since 1951. In these seven decades, the company survived many turbulent situations. Today, they are an important player in their industry and are looking forward to a bright future. Based in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Magneti Ljubljana is already a European manufacturer of magnets, with practically all their clients based in other European countries, but the goal is to become a global company. The company became a family enterprise under the current Director Albert Erman. His wife Simona is part of Magneti Ljubljana and several of his children were, are, and may still be connected with the company in one way or another.

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Jernej, Boštjan and Janez are three brothers who took over the successful family business of Mizarstvo Jezeršek from their late father Karel. The company based in Hotavlje specializes in producing stairs and can proudly claim that they have left a mark in more than 40 countries around the world with their products. Despite their success reaching far beyond their home, they are still aware of the significance of their local environment and the continued importance of manual work. From the very beginning, the story of this family business has been shaped by other influential figures, from their mother Ana and wives Silvana and Marjeta to the now already partially active third generation.

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Nowadays, we cannot imagine working in the kitchen without bin liners, freezer bags, aluminum foil, baking paper and similar accessories. Tone  (Anton) and Romana Piskar, the married couple who started the company 35 years ago, never dreamed that their products would become so recognizable and indispensable in every home. The Piskar company produces polyethylene films and bags, mainly for household waste. They are especially recognized for scented waste bags, zip-lock bags, wet umbrella bags, doggie bags and baby diaper bags. They were the first in Slovenia to start producing completely biodegradable bags for biological waste, which are suitable for composting. Today, their brand includes more than a thousand products and a fifth of their production is exported to 10 countries, including North America. They are authorized representatives of Toppits, Melitta and Cilia household products and carry Swirl vacuum cleaner bags and fragrances. All this would not have been possible if they had not constantly strived to develop new products, designed according to customer requirements. With headquarters in the town of Sneberje near Ljubljana, Piskar closed the 2021 financial year with around EUR 4 million in revenue and over EUR 200 thousand in profit. In addition to Tone and Romana, their sons Uroš and Matej and the extended Piskar family are actively involved in the company.

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Innovations and breakthrough are the guiding principles of the Solis Timber family sawmill and woodworking company, whose scope of operation  extends across Europe and even to the USA, Africa and Asia. They export timber to more than 30 countries. Solis Timber, based in Straža near Novo Mesto, was founded in 1990 by Jože Zoran. Last year, he was succeeded at the head of the company by the current Director, his daughter Kaja Zoran Ledinek, who was involved in the company since childhood. During her studies, she left the family company to gain education and experiences abroad, which allowed her to bring Solis Timber to new heights. Since her return, the number of employees grew from 10 to more than 30. As a quickly growing company, Solis Timber was nominated for the regional Gazelle award in 2019. Using state-of-the-art woodworking equipment, Solis Timber aims to develop the best products for its clients; the goal is to become the first company in Slovenia with its own technology for production of wooden walls for prefabricated houses.

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Vigros has been a leading representative and distributors of food item in Slovenia for more than 30 years. The company is well-known to all large and  small retailers, caterers, hoteliers, cooks in schools and hospitals; in short, to everyone who is in charge of ensuring  a varied selection of food items. Vigros creates more than EUR 20 million in revenue per year and delivers culinary items to more than 1900 satisfied clients. Today, the company has more than 100 employees and carries more than 1700 different products that will satisfy even the most discerning clients. The tradition of the family company, founded in 1991 by Viljem Šiftar, is now carried forward by the current Director, his son Matej Šiftar. Viljem’s daughter Maja Šiftar Benko offers legal consultations for the company as an external contractor and her husband Jože Benko works in the commercial department. Recently, Matej’s wife Andreja Vrečič Šiftar also joined the marketing department of the family company.

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