The family-run business Mebor is one of the world's leading makers of log cutting machines. Supplying products to customers in more than 65 countries worldwide, the Železniki-based company knows its way around all sorts of wood or working conditions, including Siberia's bitter cold or Africa's tropical climate.

Mebor's beginnings date back to 1982 when Boris Mesec designed and built the first Mebor band saw. Ever since the company has been growing and currently, it employs more than 100 workers and its service network includes more than 20 teams worldwide.

The company produces more than 250 large machines every year, most of them are its flagship product, horizontal band saws for cutting logs. In addition, the company produces transport equipment and smaller machines as well as complete sawmill lines, thus catering to small, medium and large-scale sawmills.

Heavily export-oriented, the company supplies some 70% of its products to customers in Europe and the rest to other continents. Mebor has adapted its machinery to different customer needs and wood types around the world. If a machine is to operate in a tropical area, it is fitted with special motors and electrical equipment, whereas a hydraulic oil heater is installed in those meant for low-temperature areas.

Mebor keeps developing new innovative solutions to adapt to changing market needs, following trends towards automation and labour costs reduction. The company was the first to make a fully automatic horizontal band saw.

"There would be no success or growth without innovation and development, and so we vigorously pursue this, investing a lot in the development of our machines and our brand. This is the only way we can thrive in a global market where competition is fierce," the company says.

Mebor, a family-run business, is based in Železniki, north-west of Ljubljana. Photo: Mebor

Mebor's future plans include production expansion at their base in Železniki to facilitate further growth, particularly in the segment of vertical band saws.

From the very start, the company has been known for its steady growth of 10-30% a year. In 2018, it received the Golden Gazelle Award for the best fast-growing company in Slovenia.

Price hikes and problems in the supply chain have somewhat upset the apple cart, but nevertheless, Mebor counts on expanding further this year since demand has continued to grow despite recent market slowdowns.

Steady growth translates into new hiring every year, but there are some difficulties in getting properly trained staff so many newly-hired workers are trained on the job. They also work with young people, offering traineeships to high school students.

The company attracts young engineers whom it gets to know very well during their studies, Uroš Mesec, Mebor's director responsible for development and production, recently told the newspaper Finance. He runs the company along with his two brothers.

Mebor's 20-strong engineering and development team won Finance's 2022 award for the best such team at the manufacturers' competition Factory of the Year. The company has told the newspaper that the team's members have a free hand in the way they decide to approach and tackle challenges.