Steklarna Hrastnik CEO Andrej Božič told the press that the good results were also due to new investments last year, in particular into two new quality control lines for packaging glass and the entry into a new segment of cosmetic packaging.

Božič also highlighted continuing strong investment in employees. More than EUR 0.5m was spent last year and a total of EUR 2.8m in the last seven years. Added value per employee more than doubled in this period.

He announced the future "focus will be on finding targets for strategic takeovers and on mergers with rival companies". "This will further consolidate our position on the international market as a high-quality maker of glass products," he said.

The company said its new strategy would be accompanied by changes in the leadership. Peter Čas will take over as CEO on 1 August when Božič will withdraw from operative tasks to focus on strategic development.

Čas spent several years with household appliance maker Gorenje before joining the steel group SIJ in 2014. He ran several of the group's companies, including steel maker Acroni until March this year.