The CEO of Klimaoprema Sergio Galošić speaks exclusively to Lider about the establishment of Amelicor holding, emphasizing that a strong brand means greater recognition at the international level. Galošić is also the president of the HUP association of the metal industry, and his stance is that rapid changes are necessary, not only for entrepreneurs but also for the state administration, in order to respond to market challenges.
Why was Amelicor holding established and how will it reflect on Klimaoprema?
– Klimaoprema is primarily a technology company; from the very beginning in 1975, the company has invested in technology and production, starting with 12 employees from the basement of a house in Samobor and producing ventilation grilles. Continuous and thoughtful investment in technology has enabled Klimaoprema to become one of the most competitive companies in Europe in the production of ventilation system segments, as well as in cleanroom engineering, primarily in the pharmaceutical industry, and then in healthcare and microelectronics. What we have noticed in our growth, in a marketing sense, especially in the foreign market, is the problem of the Klimaoprema brand.
On one hand, the Klimaoprema brand is strong locally, technologically and in production, but internationally it is not as recognizable. We were actually thinking about how to retain our Klimaoprema brand while improving it with minor modifications to enhance recognition. Moreover, alongside the Klimaoprema brand, there are other brands within our group of companies. One of them is MCRT, a German company we acquired in April last year. MCRT (Micro Cleanroom Technology) engages in complementary business to Klimaoprema, developing and producing technologies for cleanroom needs in microelectronics production. In addition to MCRT, the group includes KOER, a technology company that has developed the infrastructure for the first Croatian virtual power plant. In this sense, the need for a new, strong, umbrella brand emerged that would somehow assist our existing brands in internationalization.
Considering the need for branding, our path led us to the Croatian branding agency Fabular, with extensive international experience, and from our collaboration with them, the Amelicor brand emerged, a compound of two English words ameliorate (to improve) and core (the center), which connotes improving life as the essence of our business.
How did the German company MCRT fit into the whole story, what did you gain from that acquisition and how did it reflect on the business?
– When we were working on the development strategy for Klimaoprema, we actually concluded that if we want to disperse risk and ensure the continuity of Klimaoprema’s business, we must enter into some new knowledge, new technologies, and new markets. Since cleanroom is part of our core business, it was quite logical to plan entry into new areas of cleanroom, in this case for the needs of microelectronics production, one of the most dynamic markets in Europe. Following our strategy, the opportunity arose to approach a German company that deals precisely with what was our strategic goal. Since MCRT is a family company, and since we are as well, it was not difficult to find common values and interests, so we completed the merger relatively quickly and efficiently.
