Lana Janković Darapi: We want political circumstances not to hinder already initiated projects

We have had a very challenging business year behind us, full of new opportunities and possibilities, as well as new ideas and driving forces, which makes us extremely happy and gives us wings for bolder visions of future business plans.

However, at the same time, we have encountered new sources of instability, changes, and business risks that must be taken into account when planning business operations. In 2015, at Micro-Link, we contracted and realized numerous new projects, resulting in an increase in the company’s total revenue of more than 50 percent compared to the previous period. The growth of the business was accompanied by a significant increase in the number of employees, which reached almost 20 percent in the past year. Our expectations for 2016 are a continuation of these positive sales results that will justify the growth of the organization and maintain stable business revenues. We will invest all our efforts to confirm through our business in 2016 that 2015 was a year of new beginnings and business upswing for our company.

Projects and Opportunities in 2016
In the upcoming period, we expect the development and realization of some key strategic projects in which we are involved. Some of them will only be launched in 2016, while others are expected to see the first phases of realization next year.
Such projects include the monitoring of the blue and green borders. Joining the Schengen area is a strategic goal for the Republic of Croatia, and given that the Croatian border on land and sea is the longest external border of the EU, significant investments in specific technical equipment for the control and monitoring of the external border, modernization of the radio communication system, and general improvement of the communication and information system of the Ministry of the Interior are necessary to meet the required standards. As Micro-Link is the leading integrator of professional radio communication systems in Croatia in the public safety segment, we have been recognized as a reliable partner and are involved in currently active projects for the construction of monitoring systems at the sea and land borders in the radio communication segment. We believe that with our expertise and professional approach, we will strengthen our leading position in this segment and participate in future projects for the construction of border control systems and other strategic communication systems in Croatia in the public safety segment.
The second key segment where we see great potential for growth and development of projects in the future is the energy and industrial sector. Given the necessity for the development of industrial production and continuous construction and modernization of infrastructure, the need for faster and more reliable communication infrastructure to support these processes is also growing. Professional solutions for the transmission of process data for monitoring, management, and control of industrial processes, as well as systems for smart reading of electricity consumption and other utility meters, form the backbone of Micro-Link’s business. In the upcoming period, we anticipate a significant increase in the application of communication systems for automation and remote management needs in production, transmission, and distribution of energy sources, as well as other related industries. Micro-Link has been working for years on the development of comprehensive systems for smart reading of electricity consumption and other utility meters, and one of the larger investments planned for next year is the first phase of introducing smart meters into the distribution system of Hrvatska elektroprivreda and their integration into a comprehensive management and communication system.
We project good business results for 2016 based on the expected new phases of projects that were initiated in previous years. One of them is the continuation of the construction of radio links for the automation system of oil wells for the oil industry, where the application involves continuous monitoring of well parameters to determine the optimal production regime and reduce energy and maintenance consumption. The continuation of the construction of radio links as part of the project to improve the water and utility infrastructure of the city of Osijek, which is financed within EU funds, is also planned.

We will expand our business in the region
In addition to already concretized projects, we also see numerous opportunities with great potential for further business growth, which will also be our areas for new investments. Given the planned projects for the construction and expansion of professional private mobile radio networks in Croatia for key users, we plan to continue developing new solutions, applications, and professional services for this segment of users.
At the end of this year, we opened a regional educational center for wireless technologies where we offer preparatory courses for certification exams and basic technological education in the field of wireless communications, so in the next period, we expect a significant increase in consulting and education services for partners and users from Croatia and the entire region. We are pleased to see a clear increase in awareness of the importance of a professional approach to radio planning and the application of WLAN solutions, and we expect intense market demand growth in this segment. Starting next year, we plan to focus on better utilizing our export potential, that is, expanding our business in the region through our partner network. We believe that companies like Micro-Link, in the segment of small and medium-sized enterprises, should be one of the most important driving forces of the Croatian economy. We hope that this will finally be valued in the future with concrete measures, not just declaratively and theoretically.
Small and medium-sized enterprises create a large number of new jobs and record significantly faster growth than the average. However, on the other hand, their business is much more sensitive to external influences from the business and economic environment, which generate numerous growth limitations beyond their direct influence. The same ideas and opportunities that would produce a business upswing and initiate significant investments in a more supportive environment must be analyzed and implemented with a great deal of caution and constant monitoring of potential risk factors, and sometimes even the best business analysis cannot predict new regulatory moves and measures that are often quite misaligned with the logic of long-term economic thinking.
And finally, what would our wish list for the ruling Santa Claus in the new year look like? It would certainly be a more favorable entrepreneurial environment, a longer-term consideration of the state economic strategy, that is, planning measures and policies that would enable entrepreneurs to plan their business more realistically in the long term, creating a society that truly values responsible business and the creation of new values, and ensuring that planned projects and initiated investment cycles are not halted or postponed under the influence of current political circumstances. We believe we have been good enough this year to deserve it!