MG Rohr, a high-growth company from the north of the country whose components can be found anywhere from wheelchairs to excavators, has completed a €5 million investment in expansion and technological upgrade.

Spanning 2,400 square metres, a new hall doubles the size of the company's facilities in the industrial zone in Ravne na Koroškem.

"The investment is a major development breakthrough, it allows us to optimise processes that were not exactly at the level we wanted them to be, and it also prepares us for full automation and machine connectivity," executive director and co-owner Samo Jenič said at the 30 May inauguration.

The company was founded in 2005 as a steel pipes trader before expanding into production. Five years ago it moved to new premises at the present location. It won the regional Gazelle award in 2021.

MG Rohr has tripled its revenue and workforce over the past five years, enhancing its position as a steel pipes wholesaler and manufacturer of components for vehicles and machinery.

"You can find our products in Mercedes G and S, Daimler trucks, Otto Bock wheelchair, Liebherr excavators, Adria Mobil camper vans, Krpan winches, SIP and AL-KO mowers and many more," they say.

The new hall, supported by €1.6 million in EU recovery funds, was built in less than six months. Company founder and director general Matej Natlačen said they obtained the building permit in a matter of 18 days, praising the local authorities and administrative unit for their cooperativeness.

The investment includes a new office building that also encompasses an automated cassette warehouse with a capacity of 1,200 tonnes, as well as warehousing and cutting facilities.

The two main buildings are linked by a unique bridge, developed and manufactured in-house, to allow transfer of material and movement of people.

The investment will allow them to introduce more demanding production and grater automation, which they say does not mean staff cutbacks. "Either we have robots and employees or we are gone," Jenič said.

The size of MG Rohr's workforce increased from 13 to 40 in the past five years. Revenue was up by 40% last year to €17.6 million for a pre-tax profit of €1 million.