The Hidria Lamtec Plant in Jesenice (Upper Carniola) marks its 20th anniversary. During this time, the number of its employees grew fivefold, and the plant itself became the leading manufacturer of components for electric and hybrid vehicles. The plant operates in the markets of Austria and Germany, cooperates with BMW and Acronij. The aggregate annual average income of the company is about 30 million euros.
The Hidria Lamtec Plant is engaged in the manufacture of components for sports cars, such as Porsche 918 Spyder and Mercedes SLS. Over the 20 years of the plant’s operation, it has been expanded and modernized several times. In recent years, Hidria Lamtec has established itself as one of the key suppliers in the global automotive industry.
If the production of electric vehicles continues to grow, then, according to experts, the demand for electrical-sheet steel in the European market will increase to 350 thousand tons per year. «We remain one of the 4–5 largest suppliers in this area, and the potential growth in demand will open up wonderful opportunities for us. Today the price of electrical-sheet steel (and steel in general) is skyrocketing. We are experiencing economic growth, and I hope that it will continue as long as possible,» says Iztok Seljak, a company’s employee.
Today, Hidria cooperates with Acronij, which supplies thin-gauge magnetic steel from its factory, located just 2 km away. Jesenice is conveniently located because of its proximity to the highway and the border with Austria, as well as the relatively short distance to Germany, which is the largest European automotive market. The plant annually processes about 40 thousand tons of electrical-sheet steel.
«The automotive industry will need 10 years to return to the pre-crisis level. The sales volume of cars in the world annually increases by about 5%, and Hidria demonstrates a 12-percent growth. This means 240 million euros of annual sales revenue. At the same time, we think about the future and annually invest 10 million euros in research and development projects that will be implemented after 2022,» Iztok Seljak adds.
He notes that for several years, the production of environmentally friendly diesel engines will remain a priority, and then alternative drive systems will replace them.
Source: siol.net