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Prior to 1991 and Slovenian independence, there were four paint companies in Yugoslavia.There was one in Serbia, one in Croatia, and two in Slovenia. "Here," he says, "both have survived. The others have failed. Co. is now one of the largest independent companies in Middle Europe," he says. "In Hungary, there are only [multinationals] now, companies such as Akzo Nobel and Totalfina. In the Czech Republic, all the independent companies more or less have failed. In Poland," he adds, "the paint business is good, and the companies are larger than we are. But the market there is 40 million people." The result, according to CONTACT is that "we are learning how to survive. In the past, we exported," he says. "But after the breakup [of Yugoslavia], it was very difficult. The first years after that were quite hard. But we survived." The key, he suggests, was that the company, which was privatized four years ago, entered the export market. The result now is an intriguing mixture of geographic markets. For example, Slovenia accounts for 33% of the company's sales. Other countries of former Yugoslavia account for about 19% of sales. The former Soviet Union accounts for 12%; and Central European countries, 13%. Helios also exports to Germany, France, Italy, and Spain, as well as to more far-flung countries such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iran, and Egypt. Its sales lines range from decorative coatings to wood coatings to industrial coatings. A variety of other businesses make up the corporate whole. In coatings, there are refinishes, fire-resistant coatings, appliance and metal coatings, and wood stains and lacquers. There is an industrial grouping, with a roster of chemicals, mostly dextrins and adhesives. A synthetic resins unit produces alkyds, polyesters, acrylics, melamine, and polyols. "If the [multinationals] come, they will close us as a small region," he reflects. "The capacities in Europe are too high for us to be kept open. So we want to be independent in everything except OEM and refinishing. We do not have a fight against the [multinationals], but we must be aware of them, to see some possibilities elsewhere." |
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