The Gorenje Tiki water heater factory celebrated its 10th anniversary of the launch of production in Serbia. Gorenje Tiki is a part of the Gorenje Group, a major home appliance manufacturer on the world scale, whose products have been present in the Serbian market for over 65 years.
Stara Pazova is Gorenje Group's only manufacturing plant making small-, medium- and large-capacity water heaters. In six assembly lines, we make half a million electric heaters per year. We also make and market domestic hot water heat pumps and air conditioners for residential and office buildings. Ninety percent of our water heaters are exported to 34 countries across the globe – which attests to the fact that we are making quality appliances. Our largest target markets are Germany, Austria, Serbia, Croatia, and Russia. "I remember starting out ten years ago with a single assembly line and 15 employees in Stara Pazova. In the last decade, we have seen accelerated growth and development owing to our committed team, technical innovation, new technologies, and design," said Gorenje Management Board member Branko Apat.
Gorenje Tiki is planning further growth of operations by investing into employees, reaching the highest quality standards, and by introducing new technologies and modern design. Gorenje Tiki's production capacity in Stara Pazova allows growth and expansion of all production activities.
Branko Apat noted: "Gorenje is a champion in the Serbian market, but we did not earn customer loyalty overnight; rather, we built this confidence with over 65 years of presence in the market. Therefore, we feel obliged to offer energy-efficient appliances and to support modern lifestyle with innovation that makes life simpler and easier, despite the strong pricing pressure resulting from lower purchasing power. Our care for our customers is also evident in our after-sales service, which is one of the most modern networks of its kind in Serbia. These are the values that we shall continue to nurture in the future."
Gorenje Group operates three home appliance factories in Serbia, as well as a toolmaking plant that produces tools for the automotive and domestic appliance industry. To date, Gorenje Group has invested approximately EUR 100 million in these factories. Throughout Serbia, it employs around 2,500 people, which indicates Serbia's strategic importance for the Group.
Gorenje Group is operating in 90 countries across the globe. Our manufacturing plants are located in Slovenia, Czech Republic, and Serbia. Last year, we also set up our development and competence centres in Sweden, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, and Slovenia.
Gorenje is one of Serbia's largest exporters: in 2015, we exported EUR 140 million worth of products. However, the company's role in the country goes beyond that of a manufacturer and an employer: it is also a buyer. The broadly developed supply network and development of operations have opened many new jobs not only at our factories at which the number of employees has doubled since their opening, but also at suppliers throughout Serbia.
Gorenje Tiki is the fourth largest water heater manufacturer in Europe. Ninety percent of its products are exported to 34 countries across the globe, primarily to Germany, Austria, Croatia, and Russia. Domestic Serbian market is the third largest and Gorenje Tiki's market share there is 40 percent. In the ten years since start-up, 3.26 million appliances have been produced at the Stara Pazova plant. Following the introduction of new EU energy standards, we updated our electric water heater program last year, and added a newly developed domestic hot water and residential heating heat pump program. According to the 2020 Strategic Plan, the HVAC division (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) is developing a new range of products to be exported to the USA. Their launch in this market is planned for 2017.