Given the fact that directors of companies know the best what is situation in respective business sectors like, sector boards of metal, wood processing, food and footwear industry were established within the project. Each of sector boards consists of 12 to 15 directors of successful companies from the Krajina region. Each of the sector boards held seven meetings, including one study visit, where, with support of sector experts and coordinators, problems were identified, goals were set, action plans for their implementation were prepared and interventions aimed at improving situation in the sector were initiated. It is important to emphasize that a large number of interventions were carried out immediately after their defining, so that most of interventions were implemented during the project.

At the initiative of directors, most sector board meetings were held in companies, which was an opportunity for other members of the sector board to get relevant information about the company which had a role of a host. The meetings have contributed to strengthening mutual trust, and after getting acquainted with production capabilities and available technologies, it happened quite often that spontaneous cooperation on concrete business operations was achieved. Also, during the project implementation, sector boards were recognized as an important mechanism for improving cooperation between companies and supporting organizations and institutions.

Video clip with statements on the subject of Sector Boards:

 

Study Visits

In accordance with concept of work of the sector boards, the second study visit was organized, when representatives of companies had an opportunity to learn on way of working of companies in the same sector in the region and the EU. Depending on interests and specific challenges faced by companies, the study visits included different companies, organizations, institutions, fairs etc.

The first study visit of the metal sector was organized in April 2014 and it included companies and organizations which have knowledge and experience in areas that are, according to preliminary analysis, underdeveloped in our enterprises. These are: Cimos dd/Cimat doo, Koper; Iskra mehanizmi, Kropa; Industrial Association of Toolmakers – TECOS, Celje; Cluster of Toll Manufacturers of Slovenia, Celje and Energetika Ruše, Ruše – Maribor. In order to gain insight into development of industrial technology and new trends, the second study visit was organized in April 2015 and it included a visit to the fair in Hannover and Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg.

Representatives of sector board of wood processing industry, as part of the first study visit, visited HIZ Wood Innovation Centre in Zeltweg which operates within the wood processing cluster in Styria, as well as trade fair for wood processing equipment in Nuremberg. Within the second study visit in May 2015, visits to producers of furniture in Austria and Germany (Eham, TEAM 7, Daxenberger and sales center WEKO) and the University of Applied Sciences in Rosenheim were organized.

The first study visit of the food industry sector board was organized in April 2014 and included the following companies and organizations: Sugar Factory Crvenka, Zdravo Organic, DEM, Winery Kovacevic and Institute of Food Technology in Novi Sad. During the visit to the Institute, a model of cooperation between scientific institutions and enterprises was presented, which includes using resources of scientific institutions (e.g. modern laboratories, small food processing plants, etc.) aimed at economy development. The second study visit was organized in March 2015 and it included visit of the Anuga Food Tech fair in Cologne as well as visit of the Tönnies factory, which has the latest technology in meat processing and laboratory for quality control of the final products.

Representatives of the footwear sector board visited companies Planica and Haix from Slovenia in March 2014. In addition, contacts have been established with companies Slomatex from Murska Subota and Manatex from Varazdin, who also organized short presentations. The second study visit was organized in February 2015 and included a visit to the largest Italian footwear fair – MICAM in Milan. Also, meeting with representatives of the Italian Footwear Manufacturers’ Association – Assocalzaturifici and representatives of the European Confederation of the Footwear Industry – CEC was organized.

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