Železniki - Lotrič Meroslovje, a family business which is a Slovenian market leader in metrology testing, finished 2020 with 13% growth from 2019, as it acted on new opportunities brought about by the pandemic. The growing trend continues, so the 2021 plan is an 11% growth, director general Marko Lotrič told the press in Železniki on Wednesday.

"An answer to the pandemic year 2020 was cooperation," said Lotrič, pointing to his company working with firms, institutes and faculties to develop new metrology products and solutions.

He said that Lotrič Meroslovje, a group of ten companies in seven countries, felt the negative impact of the pandemic only in April 2020.

Last year it started developing a first Slovenian ventilator, testing protective masks, and measuring CO2 in indoor areas.

It developed a prototype ventilator as one of the three such projects simultaneously under way in Slovenia when the epidemic broke out last spring.

The ventilator was developed and tested, but the company will enter the third stage only if co-funding is secured, said R&D head Nejc Demšar, explaining certification of medical equipment is a very expensive and demanding process.

The company, however, decided not to develop a ventilator for intensive care use, since the supply is sufficient, but for domestic use or for nursing hospitals.

Together with the National Institute of Biology, it started testing protective masks, conducting over 150 tests for 50 various models of masks and materials.

This week Lotrič Meroslovje became a certified body for FFP protective masks.

Looking ahead as it celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, Lotrič Meroslovje wants to become a company with a zero negative impact on the environment by 2031.

It will continue to focus on development of own metrology products and customer-tailored solutions which allow a higher degree of automation of production and business.

Metrology testing, where the company commands a 44% marker share, meanwhile remains its core business. Last year, 98,000 tests were carried out, or an average 383 a day.

Last year's growth allowed it to move to new premises in Železniki, north-west, which it bought in 2018 and renovated last year, an investment of over EUR 1.1 million.

The group has also increased the number of employees, which now stands at 170, of whom 110 work in Slovenia.