SLOVENSKE KONJICE, Slovenia - SG Automotive d.o.o. expects a record year after sales rebounded in 2010, having halved in 2009 amidst the worst of the crisis. Sales halved to €26 million in 2009 but rose to €42 million last year. The plan for this year is €67 million, but "we don't intend to stop here", majority owner and director Robert Grah told the STA.
"The reason the company recovered so quickly is that several competitors folded. We managed to win new contracts and last year growth was fastest in the final quarter, he said. The car industry remains the main source of revenue, but the company, specialising in car lighting, has diversified to LED street lamps. At the moment 80% of sales are related to the automotive industry, but this year we are ramping up production of street lamps and could achieve a 70:30 ratio."
Grah's family holding, Grah Automotive, currently employs 450 at SG Automotive in Slovenske Konjice, 250 in Serbia and 130 in Blejska dobrava, where it owns plastics maker Tehnoplast. Expansion plans are in the works, but the company failed to get a building permit for land in Slovenske Konjice and intends to expand production in Serbia, where it is making wire harnesses.
