According to general manager Marjan Trobiš, the company expects to reap the fruit of their past activities this year and next.

Last year, the car seat division fell behind plans, but business expanded in the airline seat segment. The company plans overall growth between five and ten percent this year, but the aviation industry segment is planned to expand by a fifth.

One of the main ongoing projects is the development of an innovative seat in cooperation with retailer Studio Moderna for aircraft maker Airbus, for which they were awarded a EUR 2m grant from the EU.

The new seat is to be more comfortable and 30% lighter than normal seats, which is very important in aircraft since lower weight reduces fuel consumption and emissions.

The company is hoping to sell the product to aircraft makers beyond Airbus, which would bring millions in sales. The invention has recently been received with great interest in the United Arab Emirates, Trobiš said.

He is aware that such breakthroughs usually take time, but believes the cooperation with Airbus gives them a head start over the competition.

Moreover, success in this project would allow Boxmark to further stabilise production and expand even beyond the automotive and aircraft industries to cruise ship and furniture industries.

New deals open doors for new jobs at the company that already employs 2,200 people, but Trobiš said the company would first focus on highly qualified staff for the R&D department, and when orders increase, new production jobs will follow suit.