Hermi, a family-run business based in Celje, supplies more than 50 world markets with its lightning and surge protection systems, cable trays and ladders, and mounting systems for solar plants.

The company's beginnings go back to 1985 when electrician Herman Rauter opened a workshop in Velenje focusing on electrical installations and measurements. He realised how poor the existing lightning protection systems were, which prompted innovation.

Continuous growth, development and introduction of new materials, improvements and products led to expansion of production capacities and the company has had to move several times. Most recently, Hermi launched a new plant in the Celje industrial zone in 2021, trebling its production capacity.

Hermi, now run by Miran Rauter as a representative of the second generation of the family, has subsidiaries in Austria, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. The company continue to innovate, and remains dedicated to sustainable development and environmental protection.

It is also committed to strategic tie-ups in digitalisation and value added creation chains, regional and local development, and highlights inter-generation justice, solidarity, gender equality and decent work as its values.

Hermi lightning protection. Photo: Hermi

Hermi manufactures more than 7,000 different products, whose per-unit production time can take anywhere from one second and up to three weeks. This makes it hard for them to talk about capacity, but they say they put out about three million different own-brand products a year.

The company has equipped more than 115,000 homes and other buildings with its products, including industrial, commercial, historical and religious buildings. They have supplied lightning protection to the Zlatoličje hydro power plant, the Pelješac Bridge and Croatian sports car maker Rimac Automobili.

In Slovenia the company faces local and foreign competition. "Healthy competition is always welcome, encouraging and motivating us to keep developing, creating new innovative products and improving existing ones. We provide comprehensive solutions and client support," Miran Rauter says.

The company has plans to expand further at the location of its latest production plant in Celje. Rauter could not say yet when they will start putting the plans into practice, because this will depend on economic, business and other factors. They are committed to keep development and production in Slovenia.

Hermi employs just over 150 people, 20 of them abroad. Last year the company generated roughly €20 million in revenue and an estimated €1.7 million in profit.