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Five connected companies, three connected generations
More than 50 years of advanced manufacturing. This is the slogan of the Marovt Group, whose family of companies include Marovt, the Gazelle of the Savinja-Zasavje Region recipient, as well as MTEH, Inkolteh, Aklimat and Enset. These specialised companies cover various fields in synergy, ranging from high-quality forging, the automation and robotisation of production processes, and IT architecture to the manufacturing of designer aluminium radiators and complete solar energy system solutions. The story of these companies began in a modest workshop.
The leadership of Tomaž and Metka Marovt, the 2021 Entrepeneurs of the Year, company Marovt and the Marovt Group have grown into one of the fastest growing Slovenian companies and a solid umbrella group. Even though most entrepreneurs favour separating professional and private lives, their approach to success is the opposite. For more than two decades, they have spent almost 24 hours a day together. Their three children, Tijan, Mišel and Tim, grew up alongside the company and are now becoming actively involved in its operations.
Our priority is to keep the company family-owned, but not at any price. It is important that the owners support growth and development. Time will tell us how best to proceed.
“Under the leadership of Tomaž and Metka Marovt company Marovt and the Marovt Group grew into one of the fastest growing Slovenian companies and a solid umbrella group.
Following in the footsteps of his parents
The origins of the company date back to 1971, when Oto Marovt, the father of Tomaž the current CEO and Owner, began his career as an entrepreneur, despite the challenging conditions for entrepreneurs at the time. When he founded it, he invested all his savings into the company, so there was no way back. Despite numerous problems and obstacles, he always looked ahead with determination. He began to manufacture forgings, set up his own tool shop, and within a few years had a manufacturing facility and long-term customers. Oto’s wife Olga was involved with the company from the outset, initially alongside her full-time job. She was in charge of finances and accounting.
The entrepreneurial and private lives of the Marovt family were already intertwined during the previous generation’s leadership. Even as a child, Tomaž had a role in the company and was familiar with its challenges: “It affected how I grew up, and I often had to adjust my personal plans to the needs of the business. But there were also advantages, such as travel abroad, which was a rare and interesting experience at the time.
“Marovt products are also used in different medical applications, one of them being medical implants.
A shift to the second generation
Nowadays, Tomaž feels that the decision to take over the company was “natural and logical because I had felt that this was the right path for me since I was a child.” Therefore, his decision to study at the University of Ljubljana’s Faculty of Mechanical Engineering was an easy one. He spent years working with his father Oto and mother Olga: “The transfer of ownership and the CEO position didn’t happen overnight. It was a long-term process,” he explains, adding that they managed to navigate a period of joint ownership of the small business and the company, with him taking the helm in 1999. “My parents gradually withdrew from the company,” he recalls. “Unfortunately, our plans were upended by my mother’s sudden illness. After her death, my father withdrew from day-to-day operations and took on the role of a mentor. My parents unambiguously supported my decisions and helped to shape both my career and my personal life,” he adds. At the turn of the millennium, Tomaž’s wife Metka also joined the company. That is when, according to Tomaž, their home became an office and their office became their home: “We didn’t separate our private lives from our work, and we still live like that. That suits us perfectly and we have no intention of changing it.”
“One of the main changes in the company and the parent group was the shift in mindset from traditional ‘craftsmanship’ to a more industrial, digitized, and robotized approach
Family ownership, but not at any price
Metka’s and Tomaž’s children, sons Tijan and Tim, and daughter Mišel, have been connected with the family business and are now all involved in its operations. All three share a love for sports, which, according to Metka, led them “to develop a work ethic, persistence, discipline, and patience. These are all priceless values in the business world.”
Tijan, who is still a professional skier, and Tim are completing their university studies. Mišel is currently pursuing her graduate studies in the US, from where she handles the company’s American customers. She had previously expanded the company’s operations to new markets. After a serious sports injury, Tim devised a patented rehabilitation device, which led the company to consider entering the medical field in addition to automotive, furniture, defense, and nautical industries. “The project to develop a rehabilitation machine is based on his personal experience with post-injury rehab. That experience took him from being bound to a wheelchair to a competitor in the world’s leading marathons,” Metka explains. Tijan focuses primarily on development and innovation projects, while Tijan’s partner Aneja works as the head of the marketing and industrial design team. This was a strategic decision, the Marovt Group expanded its range by introducing products bearing their own brand.
Even though family ownership has its advantages because the family can come together in a crisis, it has potential challenges as well, especially when multiple generations are involved. That is why Tomaž and Metka are fairly pragmatic when it comes to the company’s ownership structure. “Our priority is to keep the company in the family, but not at any price. It is important that the owners support the growth and development of the company,” explains Tomaž.
One of the main changes in the company and the umbrella group was a shift in the mindset from traditional, craft-oriented work to more industrial, digitalised, and automated operations.
The beginning of the company Marovt dates back to 1971, when Oto Marovt, the father of the current director, embarked on his own entrepreneurial journey, later joined by his wife Olga
Inevitable, invaluable changes
Tomaž considers the move from a “traditional small craftsman approach to a more industrial, digitalised, automated model” as one of the key changes in the company’s operations. He adds that this allows the company to tackle both the positive and negative challenges of technological advancement and modernisation. Because of this, both his and his wife’s roles have changed. They now focus primarily on the company’s strategic orientation. In keeping with the spirit of the times, the company realises the importance of sustainable development and anticipates a transformation that requires the involvement of all stakeholders. “Within the company, we have began to develop plans, which we will implement over the next five years to ensure a sustainable, bright future,” Metka explains. They have already made important steps in the area of energy efficiency, self-sufficiency and process optimisation
The Marovt Group works in close synergy, enabling us to provide integrated solutions to achieve high operational efficiency and sustainable development.
A structured glimpse of the future
On 31 December 2023, the Marovt Group had a revenue of €43.6 million, 68.8 percent of which came from foreign markets, and had 227 employees. Going forward, they will strive to make the best possible use of corporate synergies and reduce risk by spreading their operations across various markets and fields. Because coordinating the operation of five companies is demanding, they are slowly introducing independent management groups for the companies: “These groups will be led either by family members or by outside experts. The decision will be based exclusively on the competence and results of each individual,” Metka explains. Tomaž adds: “I believe we’re on the right track and that, with joint responsibility and an awareness of the importance of entrepreneurship, we will successfully overcome all challenges and continue to grow and develop.”
Company name: MAROVT GROUP d.o.o.
Number of employees (2023): 227
Net sales revenue (2023): €43.6 million
Interviewees:
Tomaž Marovt, Owner and Founder of Marovt Group
Metka Marovt, Owner and Founder of Marovt Group
Summary
Marovt in a nutshell: automation, synergy, relationship-building, pragmatism, and a connection between family and professional lives.