How Taking Over the Family Business Became a Ticket Abroad

When Hrvoje Senegović took over the family company VibroTeh from his father in 2020, he was driven by the desire to be the master of his own time and spend more moments with his family. He wanted to escape the monotony of office work and long daily commutes. As is often the case, a decision that was initially personal soon turned into a business breakthrough, and today his specialized mobile rotor balancing service is gradually conquering Austria, Germany, Luxembourg, and Switzerland. It all started, he tells us, somewhat unexpectedly – with posts on Facebook.

– Two years ago, I started posting what I do on Facebook, and that’s how the first customers from abroad came. Everyone has words of praise; they are thrilled with the services and results. What surprises me is that the users of these services didn’t know that something like this exists, or rather, they didn’t know until now. My posts were noticed by people from the German magazine Profi, who contacted me and expressed a desire to film at one of the users, and that’s how this video, or rather the text in their magazine, came about – explains Senegović.

The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far from the Tree

The company VibroTeh was founded in 2011. Its founder was his father, a pioneer in the maintenance of rotating machines and vibration analysis. At that time, the company focused on industry and shipbuilding, and Senegović got involved in his father’s business at a very early age.

– Our company VibroTeh was established in 2011 as a continuation of the family story. My father worked in this business for years and was one of the pioneers in the field of rotating machine maintenance in the area of vibrations. For many years, my father had a craft for measuring and analyzing vibrations, and the company VibroTeh was originally conceived as a regional representative of measuring equipment for monitoring and measuring vibrations. During that period, the focus was on industry and shipbuilding – explains Senegović.

In the meantime, he gained experience in other projects, working for a time at Allstars on shipbuilding jobs. However, he quickly realized that he was drawn to continuing the family story and that this was the long-term direction he wanted to pursue.

– At the end of 2019, I left that company and in 2020 took over VibroTeh – adds Senegović.

Even in his school days, he became acquainted with the fascinating world of vibrations and machines. Observing his father in the field, he learned the first practical steps. Later, during his studies, he joined him in work and gradually gained independent experience.

– My first encounter with this job was back in school when I watched my father balance fans and pumps. During my studies, I started going to the field with my father. So I can say that I developed an affinity for my father’s work very early on – recalls Senegović.

Taking over the company came at a time when he had three small children, and today he has four. The office job, he says, never fulfilled him, and family was an additional incentive to start his own path.

– At that period of my life, I had three small children (now I have four), and I increasingly felt the need to spend more time with my family and to be the master of my own time. The office job never completely fulfilled me – partly due to the monotonous way of working, and partly due to the long daily commutes. That’s why the decision to continue the family story and develop the company VibroTeh came naturally – says Senegović.

They Highlight Mobility

Today, VibroTeh balances rotors directly on the machines. This saves time and costs, allowing clients to keep their machines running without long downtimes. They work with agricultural and forestry machinery, as well as heavy industrial equipment.

– VibroTeh is primarily specialized in mobile rotor balancing – this means that we balance rotors directly on the machine, without removing and transporting them to the workshop. We work on all types of machines: from agricultural mowers and forestry machinery to industrial machines such as wood chippers, stone crushers, fans, pumps, etc. We also have approval for service work in shipbuilding – explains Senegović.

The value of the service is evident to clients. Machine vibrations create a range of problems, from accelerated wear of parts to high repair costs. That’s why their specialization brings great benefits to everyone who finds themselves in the troubles that various machines bring.

– For our clients, this has great value because vibrations cause a range of problems – accelerated wear of bearings, shaft breakage, poorer quality of machine operation, and increased maintenance costs. By balancing on-site, we reduce vibrations, extend the lifespan of the machine, and lower repair costs. Besides savings, it is especially important for clients that they avoid long downtimes – the job is done quickly, and the machine is returned to operation very quickly – explains Senegović.

Machine diagnostics is another area in which they work, and the results often surprise the owners themselves. Of course, a significant advantage is also the fact that they repair machines immediately on-site.

– The reactions of foreign clients are always very positive. Many are surprised when they see that such a specialized service comes from a small Croatian company. Initially, there was a certain degree of skepticism – but when they see how we work, how quickly and effectively we solve problems, and what the results are after balancing, trust is built very quickly. They are particularly impressed by the fact that we provide the service directly on-site, which saves them both time and money – says Senegović.

Clients are therefore very satisfied with their service and appreciate the expertise, and inquiries for additional services – even for machines – are becoming more frequent, showing how much room for development there is. However, Senegović claims that they will certainly keep their focus on vibrations because that is their specialization and the area that personally excites him the most.

– Honestly, if someone had told me five years ago that we would be so present in the foreign market today, I would have found it hard to believe. That’s why I don’t want to speculate on where we will be in five years – we strive to take advantage of every opportunity that arises – concludes Senegović.