discover slovenia - gzs€¦ · dašis, d.o.o. [email protected] 01 5130 824 printed by: present,...
TRANSCRIPT
Hidria | BMW Akrapovič | Yamaha Adria Mobil | Citroën Trimo | Airbus GKN Driveline | Fiat Gorenje | PanasonicBSH | Bosch Lek | Sandoz Comtrade | Ryanair Štore Steel | Volvo Eti Elektroelement | Electrolux Kolektor Etra | E.ON
Discover Slovenia Feel the BrandO
ctober 2016
October 2016
Cimos TPV Livar Iskratel XLAB IRM Intra Lighting Marmor Hotavlje IntereuropaKrka Melamin NIL Unior SIJ Talum Kovis Luka Koper Steklarna Hrastnik Riko
Feel the Brand
Discover SloveniaDubai
30
80
86
36
New York Milan Stockholm Dublin
Soldiers Point Rio de Janeiro AtlantaBasel Essen
San Jose
Moscow Kadoma, Osaka Madrid
Boulogne-BillancourtOta, Tokyo Gerlingen Seoul
Munich
49
80
79
36
49
37
84
38
44
64
85
28
60
32
78
Trimo
IRM
Hidria
Marmor Hotavlje
Innovative façades for Airbus’ spares centre in Dubai
Management software for the
Soldiers Point Marina, Australia’s marina of
the year
Developing glow plug cold start technology
for BMW diesel engines
Exquisite stone furnishings for the Apple Campus in
Cupertino
Riko
Žejn
Krka
XLAB
Building its new line of designer
prefabricated P.A.T.H. houses in New York
Provider of inspection-procedure software for Vale, Brazil, the world’s second largest mine
operator
Continuing to expand its production, opening the new Krka-Rus 2 facility
near Moscow
Creating an ISL Online remote access and control solution
for Canon
Comtrade | CERN openlab TPV | Mercedes Livar | John Deere Iskratel | Gazprom XLAB | Canon IRM | Soldiers Point Marina Intra Lighting | Microsoft Marmor Hotavlje | Apple Melamin | Goodyear Steklarna Hrastnik | Bacardi Martini Talum | Zepter Akrapovič | MotoGP Melamin | Pirelli Trimo | Ikea Novem Car Interior Design | Rover Eti Elektroelement | Samsung Kolektor Etra | Vattenfall Papirnica Vevče | Nestlé
Adria Mobil Aerodrom Ljubljana Akrapovič BSH Hišni aparati Nazarje Cinkarna Celje Comtrade Eti Elektroelement GKN Driveline Gorenje Helios Hidria Impol Iskra MehanizmiIskraemeco Johnson Controls Kolektor Etra Lek Novem Car Interior Design Papirnica Vevče Pošta Slovenije Slovenske železnice – Tovorni promet Štore Steel Trimo Žejn
Feel the Brand
Discover SloveniaKolektor Etra
Postojna Cave
Gorenje
Eti Elektroelement
Intra Lighting
Lek
BSH
Comtrade
Helios
Akrapovič
Revoz
Supplying transformers to Vattenfall for
installation into North Sea wind farms
The Living Nativity, a beautiful Christmas image televised by
CNN
Developing AutoCare washing machines in partnership with
Panasonic
Production of steatite thermostat bases integrated into
Samsung appliances
Illuminating the Slovenian, Japanese
and Estonian pavilions at last
year’s Expo Milano
Inaugurating an inno-vative pharmaceuticals
facility, Novartis’ largest ever invest- ment in Slovenia
Developing and manufacturing Bosch kitchen appliances for
the BSH Group
Developer of the myRyanair flight
booking and travel platform
Worldwide exporter of paints, coatings and synthetic
resins, supplying ThyssenKrupp
Developing exhaust systems for the Ducati, Yamaha,
Aprilia and Suzuki MotoGP teams
Manufacturing the latest generation of Twingo for Renault
More than 170 locations on the map mark the headquarters of companies which produce renowned brands
with integrated Slovenian components.These partnerships are presented in this publication.
Where can we find famous brands with integrated Slovenian components?
Comtrade | CERN openlab TPV | Mercedes Livar | John Deere Iskratel | Gazprom XLAB | Canon IRM | Soldiers Point Marina Intra Lighting | Microsoft Marmor Hotavlje | Apple Melamin | Goodyear Steklarna Hrastnik | Bacardi Martini Talum | Zepter Akrapovič | MotoGP Melamin | Pirelli Trimo | Ikea Novem Car Interior Design | Rover Eti Elektroelement | Samsung Kolektor Etra | Vattenfall Papirnica Vevče | Nestlé
Adria Mobil Aerodrom Ljubljana Akrapovič BSH Hišni aparati Nazarje Cinkarna Celje Comtrade Eti Elektroelement GKN Driveline Gorenje Helios Hidria Impol Iskra MehanizmiIskraemeco Johnson Controls Kolektor Etra Lek Novem Car Interior Design Papirnica Vevče Pošta Slovenije Slovenske železnice – Tovorni promet Štore Steel Trimo Žejn
Discover SloveniaOctober 2016
Published by:Chamber of Commerce and Industry of SloveniaDimičeva 13, SI-1504 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Editor in Chief:Goran Novković
Executive Editor:Barbara Perko
Design and Layout:Samo Grčman
Editorial Board:Grit Ackermann, Marko Djinović,Ariana Grobelnik, Bojan Ivanc,Tomaž Kordiš, Janja Leban,Ante Milevoj, Tajda Pelicon,Petra Prebil Bašin, Simona Rataj, Igor Zorko
Editorial Office:Dimičeva 13, SI-1504 Ljubljana, Slovenia+386 1 5898 [email protected]
Advertising Sales:Dašis, [email protected] 5130 824
Printed by: Present, d. o. o.
Published on: 24th October 2016
Distributed by: Pošta Slovenije
Discover Slovenia is a special edition of Glas Gospodarstva.
Glas Gospodarstva is published by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia, Dimičeva 13, Ljubljana, Slovenia. It is entered into the mass media register held by Slovenia’s Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, under the serial number 516.
ISSN 13183672
This magazine is printed on paper manufactured by Goričane paper mill – Sora Matt + 150g, and Sora 1.1. 80g.Goričane holds an ISO 14001 certificate and uses FSC® as well as PEFCTM certified sustainable forestry products in its manufactures.
Environmentally-friendly vegetable-based inks were used in printing.
EditorialUntold Tales of the Slovenian Economy 5
OverviewSlovenia 6
AdvantagesWhy Do Business in Slovenia? 8
StatementsForeign Investors Appreciate Know-How and Development Competencies 10ColumnIn Pursuit of Economic Development 13
Business RenaissanceA Favourable Outlook for a 40 Billion Euro Economy 14
Competitiveness IDTop 10 Business Linked Data 16
CCISThe Door of Our Chamber is Open to You 19
StatementsOur Industry’s Recipe: Mix Discipline of the North with Creativity of the South 24 ColumnSlovenia – A Nation of Niche Leaders 25
Top Slovenian Brands & Products 27 – 86
Smart SpecialisationDeveloping the Future 87
StatementsExport Power at Cultural Crossroads 97
Top ExportersManufacturing Takes the Lead 98200 Largest Exporters 99100 Fast Growing Exporters 107
The Hottest InnovationsGolden Winners 2016 121
The Most AwardedInnovation - the Core of the Company 136
StatementsSMEs: Operating Locally, Thinking Globally 140Recipe for the FutureSlovenian Gazelles and Cheetahs 142Slovenia’s PotentialsChampions of Niche 144
When You...Slovenian Products that You Probably Weren’t Aware of 164
Editorial
Discover Slovenia, October 2016 5
Sustainable Mobility
27Intelligent
Home
35Health and
Wellbeing
41Special
Materials
57Smart
Electronics
63Strategic Logistics
69
Champions of Niche
83
Contemporary IT
77
The Hottest Innovations
121
Untold Tales of the Slovenian Economy How exactly can we present our small country’s economy as transpar-ently as possible to a large global business community? This has been an ongoing issue in preparing the articles for Discover Slovenia. When collecting information from Slovenia’s most successful exporters, we learned a lot, and the untold tales are related herein.
I’ve been a journalist for almost my entire career, for the most part covering business and economics; in recent years, however, while work-ing at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia, I’ve made a great many new discoveries, including the stories surrounding numerous successful enterprises, which I’m sure most Slovenes aren’t familiar with.
So, why do so many successful Slovenian companies have such a low profile?
Thirty or forty years ago, this land was probably best identified by Elan skis and Gorenje household appliances. Slovenes, like most nations, are forever proudest of their strong consumer brands: the Americans are proud of IBM, the Germans of BMW and Audi, the Slovenes of Elan…
However, it was back then that the emergent Slovenian economy spawned what has now developed into its driving force and the motor for future economic development. As technology creators and compo-nent suppliers, Slovenia’s prolific SMEs are today filling numerous niche markets, developing and delivering their products and services to com-panies with strong global and regional brands in every sector imagina-ble. These same companies have also rescued Slovenia from recession.
Today the Slovenian economy is showing renewed vigour, and its most innovative and successful enterprises are active in such areas as sustainable mobility, smart homes, wellbeing, IT solutions, smart electronics, special materials, indeed, a great many specialist fields and niche markets. Due to its strategic position – at the northernmost reach of the Mediterranean and the intersection of European transport corridors linking the Baltic and the Adriatic and the Mediterranean with Central Europe – Slovenia is also an important partner in the provision of maritime and overland logistics services.
Slovenian components and semi-manufactures are built into numerous world-renowned consumer goods, and Slovenes have every reason to be proud of their contributions to the products of Audi, Mercedes, Škoda, VW, Porsche, Renault, Peugeot, Citroën, Aston Martin, Mini, Nissan, Chevrolet, Alfa Romeo, Honda, Kawasaki, KTM, Yamaha, Vespa, Ducati, Aprilia, Suzuki, Bentley, Ferrari, Dacia, Hyundai, Kia, Jaguar, Land Rover, Chrysler, Ford, Toyota, Fiat, DAF, MAN, John Deere, Goodyear, Bridgestone, Volvo... just to mention some of the automotive sector manufacturers who have found reliable partners in Slovenia.
Bosch and Novartis-Sandoz have both established development centres in Slovenia for their consumer products. In conjunction with Panasonic, Gorenje is developing new smart household appliances, while the country’s own multi-national pharmaceutical company, Krka, is penetrating new markets.
Although this country continues to maintain and develop strong B2C brands across a number of sectors, Slovenia is – for the most part – a land of strong and competitive B2B enterprises. Many of their stories, tales of the Slovenian economy are worthy of celebration. Discover them herein!
Goran Novković, Editor in Chief, Discover Slovenia [email protected]
Competitiveness ID
Discover Slovenia, October 201616
43rd
(out of 61) on the IMD World Competitiveness
Scoreboard
33rd
(out of 138) in innovation
1st(out of 189)
in the field of trading across borders
(exports and imports)
18th
(out of 189) when it comes to
starting a business30th
(out of 61) in terms of
infrastructure overall
Top 10 Business Linked DataSlovenia's competitiveness has improved markedly in the past two years on most of the world rankings. Ease of doing business, openness to trade, education and innovations remain the strongest pillars of success. Bojan Ivanc, CCIS Analytics
Photo: Depositphotos
Competitiveness ID
Discover Slovenia, October 2016 17
35th
(out of 138) in technological readiness
7th
(out of 189) in the field of protecting minority investors
29th
(out of 189) on the list of economies ranked on their ease of doing business
22nd
(out of 138) in higher education
56th
(out of 138) on the annual competitiveness rankings
Source: IMD, World Economic Forum, World Bank
CCIS
Discover Slovenia, October 2016 19
The Door of Our Chamber is Open to You
What do you gain when you knock on the door of Slovenia’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry?1. A representative of the
Slovenian economy and an intermediary
2. A partner who can assist you in entering the Slovenian market
3. A networking point, where views and best practices are exchanged
4. Access to a strong professional network in Slovenia and abroad
5. Excellent professionals with in-depth knowledge and experience
6. Access to numerous databases
7. Quality business information
Phot
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epos
itpho
tos
Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, Renault, Honda, Kawasaki… You will have to look far and wide to find a car or a motorcycle brand that doesn’t contain at least one component
made in Slovenia. Indeed, this country is a development supplier to the world’s
automobile industry, adhering to the principle of sustainable mobility.
Nina Oštrbenk
Sustainable Mobility Photo: Akrapovič
European manufacturer
since 1919
Unior is an internationally renowned company with a reputation for top expertise in the field of metalworking. With its own development, Unior has secured itself the position of a renowned supplier to the automotive industry. With an exceptional tradition of smithery and with the original design of quality tools, the company has been an ally to both amateur and professional master craftsmen. Due to its comprehensive understanding of technological processes, Unior is an excellent partner in developing solutions for automatic metalworking.
Unior d.d., Kovaška cesta 10, 3214 Zreče, Slovenia | www.unior.com | E-mail: [email protected]
E U R O P E A Np a r t n e r o f e x c e l l e n c e
F O R G E
S P E C I A L M A C H I N E S
H A N D T O O L S
T O U R I S M
27
Sustainable Mobility
Discover Slovenia, October 201628
There Is Hardly Any Brand Without Slovenian Components
sche, Nissan, Chevrolet, Alfa Romeo and Renault. Currently, Akrapovič’s most popular exhaust systems are aftermarket products for BMW, Honda, Kawasaki, KTM and Yamaha motorcycles. The company also provides exhaust systems especially developed for the MotoGP series, specifically for the Ducati, Yama-ha, Aprilia and Suzuki teams, which are considered extremely sophisticated technical products.
Slovenia is a cradle of development suppliers to many of the world’s most pre-eminent automotive manufacturers. Indeed, there are very few prestig-ious cars or motorcycles that do not contain at least one Slovenian component part.
Exhaust Systems for World’s Fastest Cars and MotorcyclesThe Koenigsegg Regera, which at its presentation last year proved to be the fastest production car in the world, boasts a hybrid Akrapovič exhaust system manufactured from titanium, Inconel and stainless steel. Akrapovič race-car exhaust systems are widely considered to be one of the most complex and tech-nically perfect. Aston Martin Vantage GTEs and Audi R18s, which compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship, as well as the BMW M4 DTM, BMW M6 GT3 and Mini All4 Racing, all boast Akrapovič exhaust systems.
Based in Ivančna Gorica in central Slovenia, Akrapovič’s development engineers collaborate with, amongst others, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Por-
Akrapovič's most popular
exhaust systems are aftermarket
products for BMW, Honda, Kawasaki,
KTM and Yamaha motorcycles.
Phot
o: A
krap
ovič
Photo: Akrapovič
Brake Discs on Bombardier Trains Kovis is a leading global manufacturer of brake discs for railway rolling stock. Exporting to 34 countries worldwide, its principal market remains Europe, although the company is also making inroads into Japan. Kovis’ brake solutions for rail freight wagons are widely regarded within the industry as the best in the world.
According to Kovis’ Managing Director, Alen Šinko, winner of the CCIS Award for exemplary business and entrepreneurial achievements, one of their competitive advantages is that immediately after developing one product, they commence work on another. Applying its in-house knowhow, Kovis develops on average thirty new products per year. Its customers include, among others, such companies as Alstom, Bombardier, Siemens and Hitachi.
Sustainable Mobility
The Ultimate Luxury CamperAdria Mobil is preparing a new model in its Sonic series of integrated campers for 2017. The Sonic Supreme has, among other innovative features, an electrically operated lift-up bed, below which is a dining area; a kitchen with an oven, as well as an Alde underfloor water heating system. The Novo Mesto based company also introduced a new series of its Aviva trailers as well as its innovative Active multi-purpose camper van, which is suitable for everyday use and journeys, while all its Axess mod-els, except the Sonic, are built on a Citroën chassis.
Adria Mobil ranks among the top three in its key Scandinavian, Dutch, French and German markets, where it is also the premier imported camper-van brand. The company currently accounts for 6.6 per-cent of the European recreational vehicle market.
Phot
o: A
dria
Mob
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Photo: Adria Mobi
Statements
Discover Slovenia, October 2016 97
Export Power at Cultural Crossroads
Visionary executives are a key to success.The reasons underlying the success of Slovenian exporters are not this country’s location nor its natural resources. Visionary executives who successfully overcame the shocks of losing this country’s traditional Yugoslav markets and endeavoured to find and meet the demands of new ones, have been the motor of the Slovenian economy. The penetration of these new markets was undoubtedly facilitated by the quality and visibility of its manufactures and brands. If it hadn’t been for the anomalies in the privatisation process, and some poor economic decisions years ago, Slovenia could, by now, be the leading economic force in the region. Saša Muminović, AquafilSLO
Some traditionally strong industries.The export orientation of Slovenia is dictated by its small domestic market, and such is simultaneously a fundamental precondition for local companies to successfully rationalise and re-orientate themselves in order to become competitive internationally. Slovenian enterprises certainly can compete internationally due to the above-average quality of their products and services, high competencies and know-how, as well as their ability to adapt and innovate. All of this is particularly evident in traditionally strong sectors with a rich industrial tradition, and the enterprises in these sectors rank among the country’s most significant generators of export revenue.Marko Drobnič, Talum
Efficiency, innovation and the ability to adapt.The small size of the domestic market forces Slovenian enterprises to devise their success on export, whether they want to or not; at the same time, international success principally requires efficiency, innovation and the ability to adapt. As the only manufacturer of the Twingo and Smart Forfour, Revoz provides a solid base for Renault’s and Daimler’s exports, mainly to Western Europe. Manufacturing various models in Novo Mesto since 1973, Renault is a foreign investor that has ensured the sustainable development of its company in Slovenia. The quality of its staff, the development of their competencies, and consistency in the execution of their work has provided the basis for this.Raynald Joly, Revoz
Export is the dynamo of the Slovenian economy.Export is undoubtedly a motive force of economic growth. Krka is explicitly export-oriented: indeed, some 93% of the Group’s total sales revenues are generated abroad. Present in over seventy countries, the Krka Group makes a strong contribution to Slovenia’s economy. This endeavour is also testimony to the fact that the Slovenian entrepreneurial spirit is strong, and that it is accomplished in marketing its products and services, by way of which it accomplishes its objectives.Jože Colarič, Krka
Slovenian companies can only grow beyond the nation’s borders. Slovenia has many top-notch enterprises active in a great variety of sectors, and today they exhibit their presence in numerous markets. Considering the size of the country, Slovenian companies can only grow beyond our borders. At the intersection of German, Slav and Romance cultures, Slovenia is somewhat exceptional in the sense of adaptation and the search to achieve export success. I am personally of the opinion that education levels are relatively high in Slovenia, and that the export success of Slovenian companies, as well as the acknowledgement of Slovenian talent abroad, are testimony to this. Franjo Bobinac, Gorenje
Photo: Krka
Photo: Gorenje
Photo: AquafilSLO
Photo: Talum
Photo: Revoz
Top Exporters
Discover Slovenia, October 2016 99
List of 200 Largest Groups/Companies by Net Sales on Foreign Markets in 2015Source: audited and consolidated financial accounts of groups/companies for 2015 (publicly disclosed as of 19 September 2016)Ranking criteria: net sales on foreign markets in 2015
Company’s name Sector Exports (000 EUR)
% of foreign
sales
Total sales (000 EUR)
Nb. of employees
Value added per employee
1 GROUP PETROL RETAIL TRADE 1,594,284 41.8 3,816,882 3,978 50,7662 GROUP GEN-I ENERGY 1,433,263 82.8 1,731,203 239 90,1943 GROUP MERCATOR RETAIL TRADE 1,133,789 43.4 2,612,418 20,440 19,6414 GROUP KRKA MANUFACTURING 1,084,722 93.1 1,164,607 10,532 61,7185 GROUP GORENJE MANUFACTURING 1,048,625 85.6 1,225,029 10,617 29,7316 GROUP LEK MANUFACTURING 1,021,919 96.5 1,059,336 3,774 91,4477 REVOZ MANUFACTURING 1,018,890 99.2 1,027,310 2,005 65,9188 GROUP HSE ENERGY 671,782 54.9 1,224,011 3,525 71,2199 GROUP SIJ MANUFACTURING 580,439 87.3 664,817 3,043 51,727
10 GROUP IMPOL MANUFACTURING 511,199 93.6 546,147 1,850 54,29711 KOLEKTOR GROUP MANUFACTURING 403,402 81.6 494,667 2,935 49,48412 GROUP CIMOS MANUFACTURING 313,179 95.8 326,948 5,552 19,31613 ADRIA MOBIL MANUFACTURING 257,042 98.2 261,790 618 59,86814 BSH HIŠNI APARATI MANUFACTURING 254,364 92.1 276,161 1,140 49,04115 GROUP TAB MANUFACTURING 254,329 96.2 264,265 1,214 54,89616 TALUM MANUFACTURING 247,351 78.3 315,877 1,219 36,92817 GROUP HELIOS MANUFACTURING 245,482 86.1 285,263 1,699 48,28418 GROUP LTH CASTINGS MANUFACTURING 228,779 99.3 230,488 2,261 44,99319 GROUP DROGA KOLINSKA MANUFACTURING 226,591 79.2 286,024 1,741 36,69420 GROUP MAHLE LETRIKA MANUFACTURING 221,859 97.4 227,723 2,382 35,03121 AquafilSLO MANUFACTURING 212,930 99.6 213,850 779 45,77222 GROUP INTERENERGO ENERGY 194,495 77.1 252,294 37 147,02623 GROUP HIDRIA MANUFACTURING 193,759 91.1 212,767 1,815 40,40324 GROUP GEOPLIN RETAIL TRADE 186,298 45.2 412,132 195 245,13625 GROUP SLOVENSKE ŽELEZNICE TRANSP. AND STORAGE 185,941 40.1 463,289 7,907 42,51826 GROUP UNIOR MANUFACTURING 171,957 82.9 207,411 2,916 30,20527 GOODYEAR DUNLOP SAVA TIRES MANUFACTURING 170,894 82.4 207,288 1,289 47,48628 GROUP HELIOS MANUFACTURING 169,384 87.7 193,167 752 65,25229 GROUP SŽ - TOVORNI PROMET TRANSP. AND STORAGE 160,290 86.6 185,035 1,269 50,19030 ADRIA AIRWAYS TRANSP. AND STORAGE 148,719 99.2 149,962 383 39,95831 BOXMARK LEATHER MANUFACTURING 148,448 100.0 148,520 1,749 14,89932 CINKARNA CELJE MANUFACTURING 146,587 86.7 169,077 945 52,52533 RENAULT NISSAN SLOVENIJA RETAIL TRADE 141,539 39.1 361,712 106 101,42434 KOLIČEVO KARTON MANUFACTURING 136,427 91.0 149,904 375 115,83235 BELEKTRON ENERGY 130,786 90.1 145,147 3 -36 ODELO SLOVENIJA MANUFACTURING 129,867 99.7 130,247 675 53,41937 GROUP LUKA KOPER TRANSP. AND STORAGE 125,452 68.1 184,273 1,045 113,91738 HENKEL MARIBOR MANUFACTURING 122,230 97.1 125,941 539 93,09739 RASTODER RETAIL TRADE 122,116 83.3 146,666 50 75,00540 GROUP TRIMO MANUFACTURING 112,297 86.6 129,727 727 41,19841 CARTHAGO MANUFACTURING 111,607 100.0 111,645 446 30,48042 GROUP CABLEX MANUFACTURING 109,284 97.0 112,676 2,213 16,48043 GROUP SAVATECH MANUFACTURING 105,983 85.7 123,724 914 52,21344 GROUP LES-MMS RETAIL TRADE 102,651 60.3 170,204 1,107 36,98345 GROUP TELEKOM SLOVENIJE ICT 100,476 13.8 729,543 3,991 84,41646 GROUP JUTEKS MANUFACTURING 100,048 98.4 101,678 399 66,64847 GROUP DOMEL MANUFACTURING 97,101 91.7 105,932 1,023 39,345
Slovenia ranks among the world’s strongest innovators.33rd of 140 countries in relation to innovations (2015-16 World Competitiveness Report; WEF); In a measure of the ability of countries to compete for talent, Slovenia ranked 26th of 109 countries (2015-16 Global Talent Competitiveness Index; Insead, Adecco). The country is both innovative and has an appropriate environment for talent development. Before you is a presentation of the outstanding innovations that received National Innovation Awards in Slovenia in 2016 in the words of the gold winners themselves.
The Hottest Innovations
121
The Hottest Innovations
Discover Slovenia, October 2016122
Compact SLS – a New Compact Camper with Slide Out Technology Adria Mobil, Novo Mesto
Have you ever wished to spend your holidays in motion and have a feeling of complete freedom? Have you experienced travelling with a motorhome yet?
I am a born caravanner. Beautiful cities, long and lonely beaches, parking at famous skiing slopes. I’ve tried it all and caravanning is a unique answer to all these places for me.
However, being agile on the road and having all the comfort in the motorhome is not a logical request. A motorhome has some predefined dimen-sions, so you are either too big for the road or you don’t have enough space.
We wanted to overdrive these limits and design a small, agile and comfortable car – like the feeling you get when driving your “Ferrari’’. But we also wanted to design a car, where you feel at home, having a living compartment with all the necessities you need to enjoy your day.
Once we were having dinner on the Gold Coast of Australia with our Australian partners. While we were eating our fresh-made, excellent seafood, we were joking, how funny it would have been to make a slide-out system of our own in Europe and surprise all our European competitors. I need to mention that the system itself is already well-known in Australia
and the States. We discussed the idea back and forth, how we should do it, what we should do.
So, what did we in Adria do? We created addi-tional space with a slide-out system that enables you to increase the length of the vehicle for about three quarters of a meter when camping. It might not seem much, but that is nearly half of your body length. During the process of extension, a sleeping room with a comfortable bed is being prepared at the same time.
We did not want just to implement the already existing versions, we wanted to bring new ideas to Europe, giving our customers a light, good looking product with extra usage value of higher quality. Our Compact motorhome is an excellent case of that. Since it is only one centimetre shorter than six metres, taking a ferry won’t cost too much and you can park it almost everywhere.
To improve the quality, we focused on the main issue with the existing slide-out systems, which was water management. Therefore, the body of the system is isolated with a double sealing system and has an efficient heating distribution inside the mo-torhome. This can make not only summer, but also winter vacation in the middle of the Alps worry-free.
Up to now, our product has been acknowledged on many levels. This was a very risky move. Most of our competitors usually test interest of their customers by presenting only the mock up of the product first. We skipped that part and presented the final product ready for regular production. It was a complete hit. We surprised everyone, not only our competitors and customers, but also ourselves.
Anton Kastrevc Executive Research and
Development Director Phot
o: A
dria
Mob
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Photo: Žare Modlic
Photo: Adria Mobil
Innovators: Anton Kastrevc,
Uroš Dvornik, Matjaž Krajnčič,
Miroslav Bobnar, Ivan Šegina,
Matjaž Grm, MSc, Mateja Kastrevc
Printed on paper manufactured by Goričane paper mill – Sora 1.1. 80g.