Croatian metal company seizes opportunity to make hit new product

by croatiaweek
May 20, 2020
in Business

A metal solutions company that said no to the economic crisis – “The COVID-19 crisis pushed us out of our comfort zone.”
“The disinfection stand has proven to be a new market need. We reacted quickly.”

ZAGREB, May 20, 2020 – We have all been caught up in “the new normal”. New rules, worsening economic trends, orders getting canceled. But some saw the crisis as an opportunity. We bring you the story of Mihoković Metal Solutions as an example of seizing the newly found situation.

Croatian metal producer Mihoković Metal Solutions is currently positioned as one of the leaders in the metal processing industry and wholesale production of metal products in Croatia. It supports various industries: transformer manufacturing, IT, the automotive industry, marketing and fashion, interior, and exterior furnishing. In recent years, they have been working for the needs of robotics, medicine, and the military industry.

The business, which has been steadily growing over the past 25 years, has always been meeting tight deadlines and catering to numerous client orders. All that left little time for developing less profitable metal products such as this one.

(Photo: Marko Mihaljević)

The crisis that hit the entire world also meant an extremely difficult business environment for this company.

“Almost 45% of our production stopped overnight. Our primary focus was on the company’s survival and preserving jobs. The direction we were thinking was: What can we produce in the short term that is not currently covered and that there’s an obvious need for on the market?” shared Marina Mihoković, Director of Marketing and Sales at Mihoković Metal Solutions.

The answer was interesting: metal disinfection stands.

(Photo: Marko Mihaljević)

With new health regulations worldwide, all companies and spaces with a large flow of people must provide a hand disinfectant at their entrances. But how they will do it – is up to them. Essentially, it’s banks, hotels, bakeries, supermarkets, cafes that must provide hand disinfectant, but also all those who want to maintain a high standard of protection for visitors.

(Photo: Marko Mihaljević)

“We receive our largest orders from distributors and manufacturers of disinfectants and big clients which operate at several branches. We started with two key models: wall mounted and floor standing stands. Through numerous collaborations, we have developed several models with useful accessories: we have a model with dispensers for masks and gloves, one that is adapted to various sizes of hand sanitizer bottles, and a model that includes a people counter and a thermometer,” adds Mrs. Mihoković.

Marina Mihoković (Photo: Marko Mihaljević)

Production quickly boomed in Croatia, but the first orders from abroad started recently.

“From the moment we produced the first line of metal hand sanitizer stands, inquiries started coming in from all over. It was clear that we needed to instantly expand the capacity of that part of our production to more shifts. Now that we have an established product, we approach each new client individually, adapting to their needs, business context, and the premises in which they operate. Most of our clients are hand sanitizer distributors,” explains Marina.

(Photo: Marko Mihaljević)

This hygiene stand made from steel, aluminum, and stainless steel is a true example of quality leadership and timely adaptation to market needs, even in extremely difficult periods for businesses.