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Taking on challenges others cannot
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 professionals 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. They are proud that their organization and flexibility allow them to take on challenges others cannot. “We are the first choice for projects that demand individual approach and work plan as well as total reliability,” they explain.
When misfortune leads to fortune
Franc Jeraj’s educational background is in car repair and his first job was as a car body technician. However, he soon suffered a bad work-related injury, as he was badly burned during a welding accident. The road to recovery was long and hard, and led him to consider how to start anew. Even as a 19-year-old, he knew that he wanted to become an entrepreneur. He started by borrowing a small truck from his father and working in transport industry. He transported everything, from livestock and milk to iron and concrete. “At the time, the only thing that mattered was good work ethics. You did not need anything else,” recalls Franc. His hard work paid off and his transport business grew. But as he neared 30, the long drives started to take their toll.
“I was afraid of falling asleep at the wheel and causing an accident. I realized things could not go on this way, so I started thinking about other options,” explains Franc.
We try to be the best, not the largest. We are not motivated by money, but by excellency in what we do. The more difficult the project, the greater the satisfaction.
Last-minute name that brought success
The idea of heavy lifts was born at the Zagreb fair. There, Franc met a lift seller Peter Jakovin, who advised him to start a lifting business. At the time, Franc knew nothing about working with lifts. “At first, he did not even understand what Peter wanted to say; that there was heavy demand for this type of work and that the circumstances were favorable for starting a new company,” recalls Franc’ wife Mira with a smile. Together, they finally decided to take Peter’s advice. “We saw an opportunity for change. We did not really think much about the profit and even today, profit is not what guides us,” says Mira.
A new company called Dvig, meaning ‘Lift’, was thus born in 1980. Franc and Mira first decided on a different name, but when they went to register the company, the name was already taken, so they quickly brainstormed and came up with Dvig, a name which is now well-known in the industry. They were able to get a good loan to buy the first lifts and paid it off in just a few years. “The first summer when we started working with lifts, Franc had not yet had a permit to operate them. He had absolutely no experience, so he asked two machine operators to help. We also had no workshop space; all repairs were done in front of the house. The beginnings were really wild,” explains Mira.
The company was successful, and in the 1990s, they already had six lifts and 12 employees. Even though she had her own job, Mira took care of accounting from the very beginning. She also helped some of their friends who were entrepreneurs or had their own companies. “It wasn’t about the money. We simply helped each other out when we could,” recalls Mira. Franc and Mira always carefully considered all important business decisions together. People always ask them about the secret to their success. “If everything goes as you plan, if the time is right, and if you do your work well, everything will work out,” says Mira. Her son Janez adds: “This was the winning combination. If my parents didn’t work together so well, things would not have worked out so well.”
Employees are their greatest advantage
Dvig operates mostly in the construction and industry. Their lifts and trucks are mostly used in construction, while their teams and specialized forklifts shine in machine relocation projects. Experiences, state-of-the-art equipment and their knowledge are the advantages that took the Jeraj family to the very top of their sector.
However, Janez points out that challenges are not solved by lifts, but by people. They are always happy to take on even the most difficult projects. Lifting and moving a fresco painting, statutes, chapels, and submarines, and the special transport of the Slovenian Christmas tree from Kočevje, Slovenia, to Rome, Italy, are just some of the extreme challenges Dvig successfully completed. They are experts in making ‘impossible’ projects possible. “Our clients appreciate the completeness of our services; everything is done on time and as agreed. They simply tell us what must be done and when, and we take care of everything. The trick is to take as much burden from the clients as possible. This creates trust and makes it easier to get work,” says Franc. Their reputation reaches across borders, and they have several foreign clients. They usually meet them through Slovenian companies they work with, but when they see the level of services Dvig offers, they stay loyal to them.
Dvig does not compromise, regardless of the size of the project. Either they complete the project perfectly, or they do not take it on.
Brothers at the helm of a successful company
Mira and Franc are now retired and have entrusted the company to their sons, Miha and Janez. “Of course, my wife and I wanted our sons to stay in the company, but we never forced them into anything. That’s not good for anyone, not event the company,” says the founder Franc Jeraj. But the sons wanted to continue the family story. They grew up with the company and always helped when they had the chance. “Father and mother were so intertwined with the company, that it simply made sense for us to join it, since we practically grew up with it,” says Janez. Currently, all four share ownership of the company. The parents are still the majority owners, but plan to transfer more of the ownership to their sons, who are managing the family company with great success.
The brothers, Miha and Janez, are co-Directors of the company and are both actively involved in its management. Miha takes on more work in the field, while Janez does most of the administrative work. They make a great team, as they both know that their priority is the well-being of the company. “We make all important decisions together. Sometimes, we also consult our parents, who have a complete trust in our decisions,” says Janez. While he admits disagreements sometimes crop up, they are always quickly resolved. “It’s like in romantic partnerships, where people think that the partners should be similar, but that’s not true. It’s better if each one of them does their own thing and fills in areas the other lacks,” elaborates Janez.
Just as their parents never forced them, Janez and Miha don’t want to set any expectations for their children. Miha’s daughter is already helping in the company during school holidays, but Janez’ children are still too young. “They will become familiar with the work in the company, but they will decide on their own what they want to do in life,” says Janez.
Constantly exposed to danger
Even though the work at Dvig can be dangerous, they do not lack employees. One reason is that they are always happy to employ the right people when they find them, even if they may not have a need for new employees at the time. They are more than aware of the value of good workers. Most of their employees come to them through recommendations. “The best employees are those who want to find a new job and come to us by their own initiative,” says Franc. Due to the dangerous nature of their work, they insure all their equipment and their employees. “My greatest fear is our people getting hurt at work. When you are young, you feel unstoppable. Now, I feel afraid. The work can be dangerous; we have burdens weighing thousands of tons lifted in the air every day,” adds Franc, who still remembers the youthful desire to walk on the edge.
The goal is to be the best
The purpose of everything Dvig does is to provide the clients with a feeling of peace and safety. Their desire for the future is to remain a trustworthy partner for their most important clients. They are satisfied with the size of the company as it is and do not plan to expand; but they want to remain the best at what they do. “We try to be the best, not the largest. We are not motivated by money, but by excellency in what we do. The more difficult the project, the greater the satisfaction,” says Janez. They are also looking forward to moving into new facilities next year, which are more than 20 years overdue.
Company name: DVIG d. o. o., Vrhnika
Number of employees (2021): 37
Net sales revenue (2021): €5.1 million
Interviewees:
Franc Jeraj, Founder and co-owner
Mira Jeraj, Co-owner
Janez Jeraj, Director and co-owner
Miha Jeraj, Director and co-owner
Summary
Dvig in a nutshell: trustworthy, experienced, responsible, precise, safe.