As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Brnic writes, until recently, little was known about Croatian mobile home production but it turns out that it is quite the fruitful sector, which we realised the extent of only with the recent earthquakes having taken place, the worst being in Petrinja back in December 2020.
Among the most developed brands is Samobor’s Nord Produkt, a leading Croatian manufacturer of faucets and bathroom furniture, as well as kitchens, which entered this special niche eight years ago. So far, 2,200 such Samobor mobile homes have been produced, but despite its success, it isn’t immune to the significant mark the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has left on the global economy.
Over recent years, these Samobor mobile homes have become increasingly sought after for tourist accommodation, and the buyers are some of the largest Croatian hotel houses that are developing their own forms of luxury camping tourism.
Last year, which was full of entirely unprecedented circumstances including intermittent lockdowns and an uncertain tourist season, saw investment and demand halted. According to Nord Produkt and Nord Mobil CEOs Hrvoje Hazler and Iva Jerkovic, things are still significantly weaker in the tourism sector. Some orders have been delayed, and inquiries are coming more frequently from private buyers.
The annual production capacity of these Samobor mobile homes stands at 400, and the record was back in 2018 when they produced as many as 600 of them. The crisis caused by the pandemic, which also made travel difficult to the main export markets of Slovenia, Austria, Germany and Sweden, was used by these hardworking Samobor residents for the development of new products and the strengthening of the brand in the programme of winter houses, which can withstand temperatures down to -25 degrees Celsius and a load of 600 kilograms per square metre of roof.
Thanks to these Samobor mobile homes, Iva Jerkovic pointed out, the company is also recording an increase in exports. About 15 percent of their revenues are generated owing to exports, and the goal, they stated from Nord Produkt, is to increase that share to 30 percent. The acquisition of the well-known Slovenian brand Armal should also contribute to this, especially in the regional market.
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