OMCO makes moulds which are used to produce bottles for some of the world’s most well-known companies.
Even though it has not remained spared from the exodus of people moving to Ireland, Germany and other counties, Krapina-Zagorje County is not in nearly as bad shape as many other parts of Croatia. According to Prefect Željko Kolar, the number of people moving abroad in the last two years is lowest in Croatia thanks to employment measures, reports Večernji List on September 10, 2018.
The county shows there are still companies which make it worthwhile to stay in Croatia. One of them is OMCO from Hum na Sutli, which every year employs a whole class of high school students from Krapina.
The company started as a small repair workshop for the glass packaging industry and a part of the Straža glass factory. It then became a standalone company Straža Alatnica. After entering the European market, its export activities, which are the dominant part of the business strategy, have led it into a strategic partnership with the largest European manufacturer of glass packaging tools – OMCO Group from Belgium.
At the time, the Croatian factory was the smallest in the group, but today it represents more than 50% of its total production and is the world’s largest producer of glass packaging tools. OMCO Croatia exports to all continents and is three times larger than the nearest competitor from China.
One-tenth of all bottles in the world are produced in moulds made in Hum na Sutli, including bottles for some of the world’s most popular drinks, such as Coca-Cola, Jack Daniels, Heineken, Jim Beam, and the Chanel No. 5 perfume.
With state-of-the-art technology and equipment, OMCO is the centre of excellence and training of young people who make up the majority of factory employees. The deciding factor whether a company is going to be successful are the employees, said Darko Ranogajec, CEO of OMCO. “We currently employ 550 people. Our turnover is 53 million euro, and we plan to grow and hire new employees. We invest a lot, and we are preparing for a new plant to expand our capacity. OMCO exports about 98 percent of its products”, said Ranogajec recently.
The average age of employees is 32, while the net salary is above 6,000 kuna. They receive annual allowances, and work in three shifts, including nights, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, which is paid extra.
