Robeta, the Koroška-based company specialising in building stylish custom-made camper vans, has been seeing a surge in demand and sales worldwide since the Covid-19 pandemic changed the way people travel.

To cope with the rising demand, Robeta expanded at its location in Otiški Vrh last year to triple its production capacities to 900 vehicles per year.

The company has 72 selling points around Europe and it entered the South Korean and Japanese markets last year with plans afoot to expand to the UK market in 2025.

Talking with the STA, the company's CEO Primož Kotnik said they had for now suspended expansion to new markets because the existing sales network can fill their production capacities.

However, they would also like to expand the Middle East.

Last year they invested €2 million into a new production hall and two storage units, discounting equipment, Kotnik said.

Before the expansion, they put out 200 to 300 vehicles per year but demand has been increasing since the pandemic. Nowadays people seek independence, solitude and proximity to nature, Kotnik explained.

With the increase in production capacities, the company had to grow the workforce from 65 employees in 2022 to 100 now.

The company already has orders for more than 3,000 vehicles in long-term contracts with partners.

Staying in the premium vehicles market, Robeta could produce at most 1,200 vehicles per year, Kotnik said.

They do not face problems with supply, except for the chassis, which they are purchasing from the Stellantis group and Mercedes-Benz.

Robeta was founded in 2011 and presented its first camper van in 2014.

It generated just under €23 million in revenue and €2 million in profit in 2022, with earnings before taxes at €3.6 million.

Back in 2021 they entered a partnership with Ralf Schumacher, the former Formula One racing driver, to develop a limited edition of recreational vehicles based on his proposals.

In the future, the company hopes to keep the brand Robeta at a high level, develop new models and create a stable employee-friendly company.