Gorenje Orodjarna expands its operations in Serbia

Gorenje Orodjarna, d.o.o., a Gorenje subsidiary manufacturing industrial tools for metal and plastics processing for the automotive and major appliance industry, is expanding its operations in Serbia. To this end, they founded their first international subsidiary Gorenje MDM, d.o.o., in Kragujevac, Serbia.

The company Gorenje Orodjarna, d.o.o., headquartered in Velenje, is the second largest toolmaker in Slovenia and a major player in the region. As much as 65 percent of its revenue is generated with tools for automotive industry where they work directly with the biggest and the most reputable car manufacturers and major international suppliers. The remaining 35 percent of revenue is generated with supplies to the companies of the Gorenje Group, which primarily includes production and maintenance of tools used in home appliance manufacturing.

In recent years, Gorenje Orodjarna, d.o.o., has seen growth of orders. Last year, wrapped up with a record-breaking revenue of EUR 13.8 million, the company's decisive sales approach won two new strategic customers: German car maker BMW and the German-American car maker Opel. In order to win additional orders in the Southeastern and Eastern Europe and to improve the possibilities of entry into some new markets such as Russia, Gorenje Orodjarna founded its first international subsidiary last year: Gorenje MDM, d.o.o., in Kragujevac, Serbia. It had acquired the manufacturing equipment from the bankruptcy estate of the Kragujevac-based company Unior Formingtools, d.o.o., in bankruptcy; in addition, it took over the unfinished orders placed with this company. It has already won additional orders both in the region and in Slovenia. Gorenje MDM, d.o.o., Kragujevac currently has 65 employees.

Blaž Nardin, managing director of Gorenje Orodjarna: "According to the International Special Tooling & Machining Association (ISTMA World) data, Gorenje Orodjarna is among the largest and the most important tool exporters in the European Union. Adding the manufacturing facilities in Kragujevac to those in Velenje allows us to win new deals in Serbia and the broader region, and to fuel further growth. Gorenje Group has been developing the toolmaking operations for over 60 years; since 1993, this development has been the task of a dedicated subsidiary Gorenje Orodjarna. In Kragujevac, the toolmaking tradition spans more than one hundred years."

Managing director of Gorenje MDM, d.o.o., Kragujevac, Marko Klinc: "Business links between the two companies will allow us to build one of the largest toolmaking corporate groups that will be able to successfully compete in the challenging major appliance and automotive industry in the broad region. With our presence, we are seeking to raise the technological level of toolmaking know-how in Serbia; therefore, we will continue to work with research and educational institutions as well as suppliers. The company has extensive knowledge and experience and we wish to transfer it to our young employees in order to promote sustainable development of the company and the industry."