Transpak, a company based in Murska Sobota, has made it big with its packaging and transport solutions for food and beverage manufacturers. It now supplies industry giants such as Heineken, AB InBev, Carlsberg, Danone, Asahi, Irish Distillers, Baileys and Berglandmilch.

Transpak sells most of its brand products on the global market, the company director Andrej Frangež has told the Slovenian Press Agency, adding that Benelux represents their largest and most stable market.

While production and the majority of processes are done in Murska Sobota, the company's two subsidiaries in Dortmund and Antwerpen are responsible for sales and client acquisition.

One of Transpak's largest projects at the moment is creating a depalletizer for new bottles, which will be used by a Heineken factory in Windhoek in Namibia.

Transpak already has an order for next year in Windhoek, where they will be creating a complete packaging line able to process 15,000 bottles per hour.

In a recent project for drink manufacturer Norbev in Northern Ireland, Transpak engineered a robot that deposits plastic bottles on special plastic trays. The trays then hold the bottles together, using less plastic than wrapping the bottles together would.

Transpak was founded in 1998. At the time a lot of effort was required to convince the Germans, the Brits and the French to buy Slovenian equipment, Frangež said.

The company had four employees at first, now they have more than 130. Most come from the Pomurje region.

The workers do not just come to the company but choose to stay there, said Simon Suhadolnik, a long-time employee, now head of the technology sector. Transpak does a good job of valuing its workers and telling them they are appreciated, Suhadolnik said.

Half of the employees hold a university degree.

"Knowledge is a very important skill for us, as only with knowledge, in combination with innovation, can we be competitive on global markets," Frangež said.

Transpak started out as a provider of packaging and palletizing equipment but has since expanded to create comprehensive solutions. The company also offers integration with equipment from other providers.

"That way we can ensure quality and offer a more comprehensive solution to the customer, practically 'turn-key'," Frangež said.

Transpak recorded €27 million in revenue in 2022, marking a 7% growth from the year before.