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Metalika: Furnishing Megayachts with Wood Products
Metalika, based in the Posavje region, combines tradition, innovation, and a commitment to family values. Today, the company specialises in interior furnishings for ships and yachts, a niche focus that has driven their success and growth. “Over the past six or seven years, we have shifted our focus more on furnishing megayachts and superyachts. In addition to making furniture, we also assemble it. We’ve also developed complete engineering solutions and proprietary project management,” explains owner Igor Arh and adds that they can deliver a project from start to finish. They are embracing the concept of Industry 4.0 and showcasing their innovative spirit with Nautilus Sleeping Pods for ships.
They face virtually no competition on the domestic market, with only one other company in Slovenia producing similar products. Their primary markets are the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, and Finland, where they face significantly more competition. The company’s growth is also reflected in their statistics. Over the past five years, they increased their sales by almost 70%, with the majority of their revenue coming from foreign markets, spanning from Spain to Russia. The value-added amount last year was 59,677 euros per employee, almost 40% above the industry average.
They attribute their success to a blend of tradition and a modern approach. After all, this is a family business with a joinery heritage now passed down to the fourth generation. Everyone in the family is committed to keeping the company involved in the local community while also building its international reputation.
Entrepreneurship truly is a way of life. That’s not an empty slogan. Whether you want it or not, the whole family is involved.
“Igor’s great-grandfather opened the first carpentry workshop in the family around the year 1902
Choosing ships over kitchens and room furnishings
The story of Metalika officially began in 2002, when wood science and technology engineer Igor Arh laid the foundations for the company by focusing on interior furnishings for ships. From the outset, he was determined to go beyond traditional joinery and carved out his own niche in the market. “I didn’t want to be tied to the construction industry, making kitchens and room furnishings like everyone else.” After some thought, we decided on ships, an area where I had my own vision, even though I was starting from scratch,” he recalls. They delivered their first projects without their own manufacturing line by coordinating the work across various workshops. They started their own manufacturing in 2003 in leased facilities and moved it to their own facility in Sevnica in 2005. Since then, they have gradually increased their workforce. Today, they employ 32.
Sons Lovro and Vito grew up alongside Metalika. “The company wasn’t where we first encountered woodworking; that happened at home, where we had a few machines that Dad and Grandad operated.” As children, we would carve toys or ship models from wood,” says Lovro, who is currently completing his master’s studies in wood science and technology and heads up the work preparation department. Just like Lovro, Vito also began working in the company’s manufacturing department while he was still in high school. “After high school, I transitioned to purchasing. Now, I’m responsible for pricing strategy, sales, and a segment of purchasing,” explains Vito, who is currently studying project management in Milan.
Igor’s partner Katarina is also employed by the company. She takes care of administration and human resources. She mostly works from home, as the couple have three daughters in addition to their two sons. “Slovenians say that the wife holds up three corners of a home. Mine holds up three and a half. She allows me to focus on my work and pursue my vision, while also creating a supportive environment for everything,” Igor explains.
First to develop sleeping pods
Metalika has built a reputation for niche solutions in the nautical industry. It combines exceptional joinery skills with advanced composite materials and engineering-driven approaches. They were the first in the world to develop pods for cruise ships, and those pods have found their way aboard many ships. The Nautilus Sleeping Pods, as they named them, are both practical and aesthetic. “We recognised that the trend of pods could expand from hostels and hotels to ships,” Igor explains. He adds that when they showcased them at trade fairs, boat owners often wondered: “What are these boxes for?” Interest in the sleeping pods eventually grew, and they were purchased for use on four ships this year; three are already at sea, while one is being completed. “We have a product that may well be ahead of its time. It’s up to us to determine how best to market it,” says Igor.
Another of Metalika’s strengths is its use of high-quality materials and modern technologies. The team adapts its products to meet customer demands, making each project unique. “In the end, what the customers want from us is always the most important thing. This guides our direction for development as a company,” Lovro explains.
“The company offers apprenticeships and scholarships, employs carpenters, and actively works with young people.
The sons gradually embraced working for the business
Working in a family business has both advantages and drawbacks. Although they strive to keep work separate from their family life, they often find themselves discussing business even during lunch. “We try to keep business separate from our private lives, although, to be honest, our lives are too intertwined with business,” says Igor.
The transfer of the business to the next generation is a process that Metalika is handling prudently and gradually. Lovro and Vito remain highlyactive in their respective roles, continuing to be the pillars of the company and its future. “Our sons are working as hard as they can. Their new ideas even give me a boost,” says their proud father. He emphasises that he never pressured them to work in the company. “I never felt any pressure; both my brother and I gradually developed our enthusiasm for this line of work.” Everything came naturally to us,” says Vito.
Igor is well aware of the importance of keeping work separate, which is why he stepped down from the CEO role in 2019. As the Owner and Procurator, Igor is still involved in the company, but he has passed on some of the responsibilities to Matjaž Kitek, who continues to serve as CEO.
Over the past five years, they increased their sales by almost 70%, with the majority of their revenue coming from foreign markets, spanning from Spain to Russia.
“Another of Metalika’s strengths is its use of high-quality materials and modern technologies. The team adapts its products to meet customer demands, making each project unique.
And the 2024 Gazelle Award for the DolenjskaPosavje region goes to...
Metalika is this year’s recipient of the prestigious Gazelle Award for entrepreneurs in the Dolenjska-Posavje region. The award is presented by the Dnevnik media company to Slovenia’s fastest-growing companies. Igor Arh was nominated for the Entrepreneur of the Year title last year and ended up receiving the 2023 Entrepreneurial Role Model Award. “I’m glad that we were nominated and that we ranked among Slovenia’s top five entrepreneurs. That’s a nice achievement. It means we’re above average.”
In addition to excellent business results, the company has been actively involved with local educational institutions and, more recently, has offered scholarships. They invest considerable resources in young people. They aim to introduce young people to modern woodworking technology and show them that it’s not just about hard work. “We’re striving to attract an educated workforce, which we then develop further. We’re gradually succeeding, but we’ve invested at least ten years of work into this,” the CEO explains.
Investing in employees as a key priority
In the future, the company wants to focus on further digitalisation and process optimisation. “Our main goal is to optimise and upgrade our skills and then pass them on to the younger generation as effectively as possible,” says Vito. Another goal is to increase the range of turnkey projects, while ensuring high flexibility and quality. Like many other companies, they face problems finding staff. They would like to expand their collaboration with educational institutions, continue to offer scholarships, and promote their profession through apprenticeships, which they are organising with the Krško-Sevnica and Novo Mesto School Centres. They plan to invest more into their employees and align their mindset and work approach with that of the people.
Since they do not have a truly generic product, they must closely monitor the market and adjust to its needs. “The sleeping pod may be our standard product, but it’s designed in a way that allows us to customise it for each customer,” Igor explains. They recognise their adaptability as a key advantage for growth and returning customers.
Metalika is a role model that demonstrates how boldness, commitment, and family ties can lead to a company’s success.
Company name: METALIKA d.o.o.
Number of employees (2023): 32
Net sales revenue (2023): €5.8 million
Interviewees:
Igor Arh, Owner and authorised representative
Katarina Uršič, employed in Administration and Accounting Department
Lovro Arh, Work Preparation Head
Vito Arh, Student responsible for Sales and, in part, Purchasing
Summary
Metalika in a nutshell: tradition, innovation, quality, cooperation, niche focus.